Beauveria bassiana is a biocontrol agent which shows entomopathogenecity on insect pests especially the Lepidopterons invading the agriculturally important crops. The mode of infection is through the cuticle by degrading the chitin present on it which is enabled by the exochitinase enzyme of Bbchit1 gene. A good quality genomic DNA was isolated from Beauveria bassiana NCIM 1216 and amplified with specific primers to isolate the gene corresponding to Bbchit1 which codes for the exochitinase enzyme that is responsible for pathogenesis. The Bbchit1 gene of B. bassiana was transformed with the binary plasmid pBANF-bar-pAN-Bbchit1, in which the Bbchit1 gene was placed downstream of the constitutive gpd promoter, which was mediated by A. tumefaciens, and transformants were selected on the basis of herbicide resistance. Fifty herbicide resistant colonies were obtained and analyzed. The exochitinase produced by these transformants was observed maximum on the 7th day of inoculation in both which was 0.09 lmol/ml/min for the purified fraction and 0.06 lmol/ml/min for the crude extract. The chitinolytic activity was observed maximum at pH 5 and at temperature of 40°C. The genetically modified pure form can be used in the production of transgenic plants and in bringing out commercial formulation for the control of Lepidopteran pests.

Beauveria bassiana is a biocontrol agent which shows entomopathogenecity on insect pests especially the Lepidopterons invading the agriculturally important crops. The mode of infection is through the cuticle by degrading the chitin present on it which is enabled by the exochitinase enzyme of Bbchit1 gene. A good quality DNA was isolated from Beauveria bassiana and amplified with specific primers to isolate the gene corresponding to Bbchit1 which codes for the exochitinase enzyme that is responsible for pathogenesis. The Bbchit1 gene of B. bassiana was transformed with the binary plasmid pBANF-bar-pAN-Bbchit1, in which the Bbchit1 gene was placed downstream of the constitutive gpd promoter, which was mediated by A. tumefaciens, and transformants were selected on the basis of herbicide resistance. Fifty herbicide resistant colonies were obtained and analyzed. The exochitinase produced by these transformants was observed maximum on the seventh day of inoculation in both which was 0.09 mol/ml/min for the purified fraction and 0.06 mol/ml/min for the crude extract. The chitinolytic activity was observed maximum at pH 5 and at temperature of 40 0 C. The genetically modified pure form can be used in the production of transgenic plants and in bringing out commercial formulation for the control of Lepidopteran pests.

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The edible oil of Elaeis guineensis Jacq., oil palm, is crucial in filling the demand gap and meet the growing need for edible oil worldwide. Although all precautions have been taken to minimize the introduction of pest populations along with seed sprouts from importing countries, some pests are still found to invade crops and cause production losses. Most of these populations have been found to come from other Arecaceae palms such as coconut, palmyrah and betel nut that may be commonly found around oil palm fields. It has been estimated that the above pests reduced oil palm yield by 20–30%, persisted for several years after attack, depending on cultivation methods, and returned to previous yield levels within a few years of attack. The minor pests of coconut, palmyrah, and maize, psychid and slug caterpillar were discovered to be very invasive on oil palm, resulting in output losses of up to 50%. The presence of favorable conditions such as low temperature and high humidity within oil palm plantations may possibly be the reason for migration. The production losses caused by these migratory pests affect the sustainability of the produce and thus agriculture, so it is important to apply the good management practices.