CONTROL OF TOMATO MOTH (Tuta absoluta M.) USING A TRUNCATED cry1Ab GENE OF A NATIVE delta-ENDOTOXIN OF Bacillus thuringiensis

The tomato moth (Tuta absoluta Meyrick) is the most devastating pest of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) in Chile, causing losses of 60 to 100% in fields not treated with insecticides. In addition, it has been found that a significant number of insects present levels of resistance to one or more chemical insecticides commonly used, while the number of insects doubles every six years. At present, this concern stimulates interest in the use of so-called 'biopesticides' which, unlike chemical pesticides, are environment-friendly and innocuous for other living beings. A great number of known species with insecticidal properties belongs to the genus Bacillus, especially to the species Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The insect comes in contact with the toxin when it eats the leaf tissue of plants previously sprayed with a suspension of Bt. but there are leaf miners, such as the larvae of tomato moth. The generation of transgenic plants that express the gene for a delta-endotoxin selected can avoid this problem. In this study, the lines transformed with the cry gene presented less damage compared to those untransformed (p < 0.05; n = 3).