Biocontrol Science and Technology (2018) 28, 20-33

Ghulam Ali, Wopke van der Werf and Just M. Vlak (2018)
Biological and genetic characterization of a Pakistani isolate of Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus
Biocontrol Science and Technology 28 (1), 20-33
Abstract: Spodoptera litura is an emerging insect pest in a wide range of crops worldwide. The insect is difficult to control because of resistance development to synthetic insecticides and emerging resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins. Therefore, there is a need to develop biological control agents, preferably from an indigenous source to avoid risks associated with the importation of exotic natural antagonists. A Pakistani isolate of S. litura nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltNPV, Baculoviridae), SpltNPV-Pak-BNG, was obtained from the field and characterized biologically and genetically, and compared to a SpltNPV reference isolate, SpltNPV-G1, thought to be of Chinese origin. The dose–mortality response (LD₅₀) of SpltNPV-Pak-BNG was not significantly different from that of the reference isolate SpltNPV-G1, but the time-to-death (LT₅₀) was significantly shorter for SpltNPV-Pak-BNG than for SpltNPV-G1. DNA restriction enzyme profiling indicated that SpltNPV-Pak-BNG and SpltNPV-G1 are different viruses. Sequence analysis of 'ORF24', specific for SpltNPV (and S. littoralis NPV as ORF21), and the conserved baculovirus core genes polyhedrin, DNApol, pif-2 and lef-8 confirmed that this was indeed the case and that SpltNPV-Pak-BNG is a genuine SpltNPV variant, whereas the SpltNPV-G1 isolate we used is, in fact, a SpliNPV variant, renamed to SpliNPV-G1. The newly isolated SpltNPV-Pak-BNG has the potential for development as a biocontrol agent of S. litura in Pakistan.
(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): Wopke van der Werf, Just M. Vlak

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera litura		Pakistan
Alphabaculovirus spliturae (entomopathogen)	Spodoptera litura		Pakistan