Insecticidal Promise of Bacillus thuringiensis

T he future looks bright for Bacillus thuringiensis as an object of scientific study and as a commercial opportunity. As an insecticide, it has been valued for its specificity for target insects, its low development cost, and its environmental compatibility. B. thuringiensis also constitutes a gene pool for engineering insecticidal activity into other organisms, such as crop plants. Although B. thuringiensis is a successful bioinsecticide, little is known about its ecology.