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Adsorption of insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki by some Chinese soils: effects of organic acid ligands addition

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Abstract

We have investigated the effects of low molecular weight organic acid ligands on the adsorption of the insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) by the colloidal (<2 μm particle-size) fraction of some soils. The desorption of the bound toxin by NaCl and phosphate buffer has also been measured. The soils used were a red soil (Ultisol), a latosol (Oxisol), a yellow brown soil (Alfisol) and a yellow cinnamon soil (Alfisol) from central and southern China. The adsorption isotherms were all of the L-type, and the data fitted the Langmuir equation (R2 > 0.97). When present at low concentrations, organic acids (acetate, oxalate, citrate) had an inhibitory effect on toxin adsorption. Uptake, however, was promoted when the organic acid concentration exceeded 10 mM. The toxin was very strongly bound by the soils but the soil-toxin interaction weakened in the presence of organic acids. A small portion of the toxin was adsorbed by electrostatic and ligand exchange interactions. The addition of organic acids appeared to enhance these interactions.

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Abbreviations

BSA:

Bovine serum albumin

Bt:

Bacillus thuringiensis

ICP:

Insecticidal crystalline protein

LS:

Latosol

RS:

Red soil

YBS:

Yellow brown soil

YCS:

Yellow cinnamon soil

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Acknowledgements

The project was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No: 40671087) and Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (Grant No: 20050504011). Authors also were indebted to Professor B K G Theng for his valuable comments and language help.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Subtropical Agriculture Resource and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Qingling Fu, Hongqing Hu, Shouwen Chen, Qiaoyun Huang & Wei Liang

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  1. Qingling Fu
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  2. Hongqing Hu
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  3. Shouwen Chen
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  4. Qiaoyun Huang
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  5. Wei Liang
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Correspondence to Hongqing Hu.

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Responsible Editor: Thomas B. Kinraide

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Fu, Q., Hu, H., Chen, S. et al. Adsorption of insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kurstaki by some Chinese soils: effects of organic acid ligands addition. Plant Soil 296, 35–41 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9286-5

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