Name the pathogen, that attack insects and other arthropods.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Baculoviruses
A biocontrol agent is a living organism used to control a pest or a disease. Baculoviruses are pathogens that attack insects and other arthropods. Most of those used in pest control belong to the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus. They act on a narrow range of species, and they do not harm plants, mammals, birds, fish or non-target insects.
(1) Baculoviruses — Correct. They are viruses that infect insects and other arthropods.
(2) Trichoderma — Incorrect. It is a free-living fungus of the root region. It is a biocontrol agent against several plant pathogens, not against insects.
(3) Bacillus thuringiensis — Incorrect. It is a bacterium sold as dried spores to control butterfly caterpillars. The caterpillars die by the toxin that is released in their gut. The pathogen of insects and other arthropods named in NCERT, however, is the baculovirus.
(4) E. coli — Incorrect. It is a gut bacterium. It is used as a host in recombinant DNA work and is not used against insects.
NCERT Extract:
Microbes as Biocontrol Agents – …
