Infection with Spodoptera litura NPV Reduces Food Consumption and Weight Gain of Spodoptera litura Larvae

Insect-pathogenic baculoviruses have established potential as biological insect pest control agents. However, slow speed of kill relative to chemicals and continued feeding following application limit their effectiveness in preventing crop losses. Here we studied the food consumption and weight gain...

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Published inPakistan journal of zoology Vol. 51; no. 2; p. 495
Main Authors Ali, Ghulam, Werf, Wopke van der, Vlak, Just M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Lahore Knowledge Bylanes 2019
The Zoological Society of Pakistan
Subjects
Anopheles
Baculoviruses
Bioaccumulation
Bioassays
Biological insect control
Biological pest control
Biopesticides
Body weight gain
Control
Cotton
Crop damage
Dependence
Dose dependency
Epstein-Barr virus
Food
Food consumption
Food intake
Herbivores
Host-virus relationships
Infections
Insect pests
Insects
Larvae
Lethal effects
Methods
Noctuidae
Observations
Occlusion
Occlusion bodies
Organic chemistry
Pest control
Science
Spodoptera litura
Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedroviruses
Taxonomy
Viral infections
Viruses
Weight gain
Zoological research
Pakistan
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Summary:Insect-pathogenic baculoviruses have established potential as biological insect pest control agents. However, slow speed of kill relative to chemicals and continued feeding following application limit their effectiveness in preventing crop losses. Here we studied the food consumption and weight gain of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera litura following application of two viral doses of Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus (Pakistan isolate SpltNPV-Pak-BNG). Infected larvae with final polyhedrosis (disease resulting in dissolution of larval tissues and accumulation of viral occlusion bodies) exhibited reduced food intake and weight gain relative to uninfected larvae. The unexposed larvae and the larvae that were exposed but survived exhibited the same food consumption and weight gain. This study did thus not reveal any sub-lethal effects of exposure to the virus on food consumption and weight gain. There was no viral dose dependency observed in food intake or weight gain by infected larvae, suggesting there is no increased crop damage upon virus treatment but rather a decrease to be expected.
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ISSN:0030-9923
DOI:10.17582/journal.pjz/2019.51.2.495.501