Phyllis Martin
The goal of my research is to use insect-specific bacteria and/or their products to protect crop plants against beetle pests such as the Colorado potato beetle and corn rootworm. The feeding behavior of these insects requires very different strategies for successful control. For the corn rootworm, the larvae feed on corn roots and the adults feed on pollen and leaves of many crops. A novel way to control these beetles is to combine the toxic bacteria with a bait they eat compulsively. Unlike the cornroot worm, the Colorado potato beetle larvae and adults both feed on the foliage of the same plant (which can be potato, tomato or eggplant). In this case, the bacteria can be applied to the plant in a manner similar to insecticide application. My research covers the gamut of insect pathology, from discovery of new bacteria to frield trials. Once bacteria are identified as deadly to insects, I investigate other characteristics of these bacteria to ensure that they kill only pest insects and are not generally toxic, especially to beneficial insects. To improve the ability of the bacteria to kill, I determine: the best growth medium, the timing of toxin production, the stablilization of toxins, and the selection of more toxic variants. Once I understand how the bacteria kill in the laboratory, I test the bacteria against insects in the greenhouse and small field plots for efficacy and survival under natural conditions. the use of bacteria to control insects on crops will reduce the need for broad ranging chemical pesticides.
Recent Publications:
- Martin, P.A.W. and R.S. Travers. 1989. Worldwide abundance and distribution of Bacillus thuringiensis isolates. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 55:2437-2442.
- Martin, P.A.W. 1994. An iconoclastic view of Bacillus thuringiensis ecology. Amer. Entomol. 40:85-90.
- Martin, P.A.W., S. Mischke, and R.F.W. Schroder. 1998. Compatibility of photoactive dyes with insect biocontrol agents. Biocontrol Sci. Technol. 8:501-508.
- Martin, P.A.W. and R.F.W. Schroder. 2000.The effect of cucurbitacin E glycoside, a feeding stimulant for corn rootworm, on biocontrol fungi: Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. Biocontrol Sci. Technol. 10:315-320.
- Martin, P.A.W., R.F.W. Schroder, T. J. Poprawski, J. J.. Lipa, E. Hausvater, and V. Rasocha. 2000. The effect of temperature on the susceptibility of the Colorado potato beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) to Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin in Poland, the Czech Republic and the United States. J. Entomol. Sci. 35:251-258.
- Loeb, M.J., R.S. Hakim, P. Martin, N. Narang, S. Goto, and M. Takeda. 2001. Regeneration of cultured midgut cells after exposure to sublethal doses of toxin from two strains of Bacillus thuringiensis. J. Insect Physiol. 47: 599-606.
- Schroder, R.F.W., P.A.W. Martin, and M. M. Athanas. 2001. Effect of a phloxine B-cucurbitacin bait on diabroticite beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 94:892-897.
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