Biopesticides

We are trying to develop biological strategies for controlling insect plagues in crops having economic relevance for Colombia. Our programme has been designed for using entomopathogenous microorganisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) for developing and implementing agricultural biological products as an important part of integrated plague management (MIP) programmes in different Colombian agricultural lines.

We have developed activities placing special emphasis on using the microbiological diversity present in Colombian soils by prospecting, characterising and using native Bt strains for developing specific biopesticides for Colombia’s insect plagues.

Our strategy lies in isolating this bacterium’s native strains from soil samples or the cadavers of insects collected from different agricultural regions of Colombia or non-agricultural wild regions. Once the presence of a microorganism of interest has been determined, a deeper characterisation is carried out at biochemical and molecular level. In the case of Bt, this initially consisted of determining the protein profile of crystals associated with the bacteria during the sporulation stage by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), followed by genetic analysis using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique leading to determining the type of cry genes encoding the toxic proteins present in each native Bt strain.

Work was begun through the collaboration of entities such as the Corporación de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB) from Medellín, the National Cotton-farmers’ Federation (Federación Nacional de Algodoneros) and the Empresa Colombiana de Productos Veterinarios (VECOL).

Our programme has achieved recognition at international level and has established close links with other research groups in the area of bioinsecticides in countries such as Mexico (UNAM’s Instituto de Biotecnología and CINVESTAV), the USA (the University of California), Belgium (Aventis Crop Science), Costa Rica (Centro de Investigaciones en Biología Celular y Molecular), Brazil (EMBRAPA), Argentina (Instituto de Microbiologia y Zoología Agricultural). Links have been established at national level through research projects with research groups from different universities such as the Universidad de Los Andes, Javeriana, Distrital, UDCA and research centres such as CIB and CORPOICA.
We have developed formulation and production procedures for a biopesticide based on a Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) strain.

We have completely characterised more than 300 native isolates for forming IBUN’s Bacillus thuringiensis reference collection and have determined the toxic activity of isolates selected from the collection against insect plagues affecting different hot climate crops such as cotton, sorghum, corn and rice. Such insects (commonly known as corn ear/shoot worm (Spodoptera frugiperda) and Bollgard cotton worm (Heliothis virescens)) cause serious losses in production and yield in the aforementioned crops.

A Bacillus thuringiensis native strain was selected having great potential for developing a specific biopesticide for this plague by designing different formulation prototypes and which are currently being industrialised and registered with the competent authorities.

JAIRO ALONSO CERON SALAMANCA, "Proteínas de Bacillus thuringiensis con actividad citotóxica: Parasporinas" . En: Colombia. Revista Colombiana De Biotecnologia  ISSN: 1909-8758  ed: Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Relaciones Internacionales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. v.20 fasc.2 p.89 - 100, (2018),  DOI: 10.15446/rev.colomb.biote.v20n2.73668

JAIRO ALONSO CERON SALAMANCA, "Chemical composition and insecticidal properties of essential oils Piper septuplinervium and P. subtomentosum (Piperacea)" . En: Estados Unidos Natural product communications  ISSN: 1555-9475  ed: Natural Product Communications
v.9 fasc.19 p.1527 - 1530, (2014),  DOI: 10-1021.

JAIRO ALONSO CERON SALAMANCA, "ACTIVIDAD INSECTICIDA SOBRE Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidóptera: Noctuidae) DE LOS COMPUESTOS AISLADOS DE LA PARTE AÉREA DE Piper septuplinervium (Miq.) C. DC. Y LAS INFLORESCENCIAS DE Piper subtomentosum Trel. & Yunck. (Piperaceae)" . En: Brasil. Quimica Nova  ISSN: 0100-4042  ed: Secretaria Regional do Rio de Janeiro da Sociedade Brasileira de Quimica. v.37 fasc.3 p.442 - 446, (2014).  DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5935/0100-4042.20140067.

JAIRO ALONSO CERON SALAMANCA, "Biological Activity ot Insecticidal Toxins: Structural Basis, Site-Direct Mutagenesis and Perspectives" Genetic Manipulation Of Dna And Protein - Examples From Current Research . En: Croacia  ISBN: 978-953-51-0994-5  ed: INTECH , v. , p.273 -  , (2013).

JAIRO ALONSO CERON SALAMANCA, SILVIO ALEJANDRO LOPEZ-PAZOS, JORGE EDUARDO CORTAZAR GOMEZ, "Determination of Cry toxin activity and identification of an aminopeptidase N receptor like gene in Asymmathetes vulcanorum (Coleoptera:Curculionidae)" . En: Estados Unidos. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology  ISSN: 0022-2011  ed: Academic Press. v.111 fasc.1 p.94 - 98, (2012). 

Contact us

Director

Jairo Cerón Salamanca

Ciudad Universitaria - Carrera 30 No. 45-03
IBUN - Instituto de Biotecnología, Bogotá D. C., Colombia
Teléfono: (57-1) 3165000 Ext. 16964
Correo electrónico: jacerons @unal.edu.co