PCR SCREENING OF THE CRY6 GENE FROM THE GENOME OF BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS BACTERIAL STRAINS AND ITS APPLICATION TO NEMATODES OF THE GENUS MELOIDOGYNE

Currently, important tasks are to meet the growing demand for vegetable products and to increase their yields, on the one hand, and to ensure food security, on the other. Due to negative impact of some chemical substances on human health, the environment, and living organisms, researchers are increasingly looking to beneficial bacteria to control pests and plant pathogens. The conducted research shows that they have effective impact on plant biometrics and contribute to increasing their yield. Bacillus thuringiensis strains produce various crystalline protein toxins (Cry5, Cry6, Cry12, Cry13, Cry14, Cry21, and Cry55) during growth. These Cry toxins exhibit significant biological activity against parasitic nematodes and other pathogenic pests. We found that the Bt1-4 strain isolated from the rhizosphere of roots of parasitic nematode-infected plants produced specific DNA amplicons for the Cry6 gene during electrophoresis. This allows the use of the Bt1-4 strain to control nematodes Meloidogyne, as a specific DNA amplicon was registered for the Cry6 gene in the Bt1-4 strain. Our experiments found that Cry6 proteins produced by the Bt1-4 strain were a promising means to control nematodes.