Journal of Applied Entomology (2019) 143, 11-20

Saoussen Ben Tiba, Andreas Larem, Asma Laarif, Eva Fritsch, Karin Undorf-Spahn, Samira Abuelgasim Mohamed, Sunday Ekesi, Jörg T. Wennmann, Jürgen Kroschel, Sami Fattouch and Johannes A. Jehle (2019)
The potential of novel African isolates of Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus for the control of Tuta absoluta
Journal of Applied Entomology 143 (1-2), 11-20
Abstract: Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus (PhopGV) is infectious for larvae of different Gelechiidae insect species, including Tuta absoluta and Phthorimaea operculella. As these are major economic pests in North and sub-Saharan Africa as well as in the Mediterranean area, the development of locally suitable biocontrol agents is essential. We have studied five isolates of PhopGV from Tunisia (Tns16, Tu1.11 and Tu2.11), Kenya (Ken13) and Yemen (Ym14) for their biological activity and the sequence polymorphism of their granulin and ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase (egt) genes and allocated the isolates to two different egt types. Infection experiments with neonate larvae of T. absoluta and P. operculella demonstrated their pathogenicity to both host species. The isolate PhopGV Tu1.11 was the most virulent one for T. absoluta but had a relatively low infectivity to two P. operculella populations originating from Italy and Tunisia.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Asma Laarif, Sunday Ekesi, Jürgen Kroschel, Johannes A. Jehle

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Phthorimaea absoluta		Tunisia
Betabaculovirus phoperculellae (entomopathogen)			Kenya
Betabaculovirus phoperculellae (entomopathogen)			Yemen
Betabaculovirus phoperculellae (entomopathogen)	Phthorimaea absoluta		Tunisia