We are pleased to share the poster presented by our colleague Florine Ory at SETAC in 2024.
Biopesticides operate through biological mechanisms to manage pests, arousing growing interest in their development as sustainable solutions within the global crop protection landscape. In contrast to synthetic chemicals, microbial pesticides are relatively specific and have targeted modes of action that include, resources competition, infectivity, and pathogenicity, rather than toxicity alone.
Such mechanisms pose potential ecological risks to non-target organisms, necessitating thorough assessments tailored to specific environmental contexts, encompassing exposure routes, developmental stages, and life cycles. Conventional testing protocols, typically designed for assessing chemical toxicity, must undergo adaptation to account for the ecological attributes of the tested organisms.
Here, the impact of a widely used microbial pesticide, Bacillus thuringiensis, was evaluated on honey bee larvae and young daphnids.
By modifying parameters of the study protocols, we aimed to create a more accurate representation of microbial exposure scenarios, thus facilitating the understanding of its ecological implications.
