BackgroundInsects have developed resistance against Bt-transgenic plants. A multi-barrier defense system to weaken their resistance development is now necessary. One such approach is to use fusion protein genes to increase resistance in plants by introducing more Bt genes in combination. The locating the target protein at the point of insect attack will be more effective. It will not mean that the non-green parts of the plants are free of toxic proteins, but it will inflict more damage on the insects because they are at maximum activity in the green parts of plants.ResultsSuccessful cloning was achieved by the amplification of Cry2A, Cry1Ac, and a transit peptide. The appropriate polymerase chain reaction amplification and digested products confirmed that Cry1Ac and Cry2A were successfully cloned in the correct orientation. The appearance of a blue color in sections of infiltrated leaves after 72 hours confirmed the successful expression of the construct in the plant expression system. The overall transformation efficiency was calculated to be 0.7%. The amplification of Cry1Ac-Cry2A and Tp2 showed the successful integration of target genes into the genome of cotton plants. A maximum of 0.673 μg/g tissue of Cry1Ac and 0.568 μg/g tissue of Cry2A was observed in transgenic plants. We obtained 100% mortality in the target insect after 72 hours of feeding the 2nd instar larvae with transgenic plants. The appearance of a yellow color in transgenic cross sections, while absent in the control, through phase contrast microscopy indicated chloroplast localization of the target protein.ConclusionLocating the target protein at the point of insect attack increases insect mortality when compared with that of other transgenic plants. The results of this study will also be of great value from a biosafety point of view.
Phytophthora capsici is the most destructive pathogen of vegetables that represents a serious threat to chilli pepper plants. We discussed the control of P. capsici through manipulation of genetic architecture of chilli plant and endophytic microorganisms. The function of various genes encoding transcriptional regulatory and defense related putative proteins such as pathogen-related protein (PR), anti-microbial peptides (AMPs), polygalacturonaseinhibiting proteins (PGIPs), lipid transfer protein (LTP), pectin methylesterase (PME), leucine-rich repeat proteins (LRRs), osmotin-like and thaumatin-like protein, in Capsicum was also analyzed. The bio-control of P. capsici by using various strains of Bacillus, Trichoderma, Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium and Rhizobacteria was demonstrated. We also discussed the enhanced resistance to P. capsici infection by treatment with a variety of abiotic and biotic inducers that act on defence signalling pathways involved in disease resistance. We highlighted the vulnerability of chilli crop with reference to its genetic resources against Phytophthora blight. Disease control through chemicals is becoming problematic, so we proposed other ways to control the disease severity. This review highlights the economic significance of chilli pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) along with disease management strategies against P. capsici. This pathogen has posed a serious threat to chilli crop worldwide.
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