     |
| Molecular Targets | |
| Bt-based Biopesticides | |
| Environmental Technology Products | |
|
|
Agricultural Pest Control Biological Targets, Inc. owns a new strain of Bt that has the ability to kill a wide range of pest insects. Genetic analysis reveals the presence of at least 15 different insecticidal proteins that are toxic to a variety of species in three orders of insects; Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Diptera as well as to certain nematodes. Significantly, this strain has greater potency and is faster acting than any other Bt currently used in commercial biopesticides to control a variety of agricultural pests. Biological Targets’ new Bt strain also can be a powerful alternative to methyl bromide, which has been among the top five most widely used pesticides in the world. Methyl bromide is being phased out around the world because it destroys the ozone layer. Currently, there is no known alternative, chemical or otherwise, that can readily substitute for methyl bromide. BTI’s Bt strain has broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and offers the means to develop an efficient, low cost, easy to use, environmentally and user safe alternative to methyl bromide. |
 |
| Biological Targets’ Bt strain efficiently kills a variety of agriculturally important insect pests and nematodes. Chief among these insects are cotton, corn and potato pests which include the bollworm/budworm complex and the cotton leafworm. The bollworm/budworm complex is comprised of the cotton bollworm, pink bollworm and the cotton budworm, which feeds primarily on cotton as well as tobacco and soybeans. Corn insects affected by this Bt strain are the fall army worm, corn rootworm and the European corn borer, which also affect sorghum, cotton and various vegetables. The Bt strain kills the Colorado potato beetle and the potato tuber moth that are serious pests of potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper and tobacco, among others. Nematodes killed by the Bt strain include various citrus and root-knot nematodes. |
Disease Vector Control Mosquitoes are a primary vector of human and animal pathogens and are responsible for transmitting more than 100 such pathogens that cause devastating diseases. The three major mosquito vectors are Culex pipiens, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles gambiae. Culex pipiens transmits West Nile fever, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) and St. Louis encephalitis. Aedes aegypti is the carrier of viruses that cause dengue fever, chikungunya fever and yellow fever and is a potential carrier of dog heartworm. Anopheles gambiae is the insect vector that transmits malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, where almost 90% of the world’s malaria deaths occur. Mosquitoes must have water to breed. Adult mosquitoes lay eggs on the surface of standing water. Eggs hatch into larvae that later become pupae, from which the adult mosquitoes emerge. Biological Targets, Inc. owns a unique strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that efficiently kills all three of these mosquitoes. BTI’s strain is dramatically more potent and much faster acting than any other strain of Bt currently used in commercial vector control products. |
 |
| Insecticides are the primary means to control mosquitoes and the spread of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. However, the adverse effects of a number of insecticides in humans and their contamination of the environment have negated the benefits of many insecticides that have been used worldwide for controlling mosquitoes. Bt-based larvicides have distinct advantages over chemicals, such as the insect growth inhibitor methoprene and the organophosphate temephos, because they are nontoxic to humans and pose no risks to wildlife, non-target species and the environment. In addition, Bt-based larvicides kill the mosquito larvae in their breeding habitat and control mosquitoes prior to their development and dispersal as adult vectors. |
Fire Ant Control The red imported fire ant is a pest in both urban and rural areas because the ant directly affects people, animals and plants (crops) and also causes problems in the industrial and commercial infrastructure as well as the ecosystem. Fire ant related damage estimates for the US reaches to billions of dollars annually across the geographical range affected by fire ants. The main insecticides for fire ant control are organic compounds that have been designated as PAN Bad Actors because they are known or probable carcinogens or terratogens, have high acute toxicity and pollute groundwater. |
 |
| Scientists at Biological Targets, Inc. have isolated an insecticidal protein toxin from a new strain of Bt isolated in Texas that has the capacity to kill the red imported fire ant. A formulation based on this new strain of Bt represents a new environmentally safe insecticide, with tremendous potential for controlling fire ants. |
Home | Products & Technologies | History & Achievements | Business Opportunities | What's New | Contact Us | Site Map
Biological Targets Inc. PO Box 1529. Pilot Point. TX 76258-1529 U.S.A