ARS | Publication request: COMPARATIVE FIELD STABILITY OF SELECTED ENTOMOPATHOGENIC VIRUS FORMULATIONS

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 15, 2000
Publication Date: October 1, 2001
Citation: MCGUIRE, M.R., BEHLE, R.W., TAMEZ-GUERRA, P., STREETT, D.A. COMPARATIVE FIELD STABILITY OF SELECTED ENTOMOPATHOGENIC VIRUS FORMULATIONS. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 2001. v. 94(5). p. 1037-1044.

Interpretive Summary: Insect pests of crops are currently controlled with synthetic chemical pesticides that can have unintended consequences. Viruses that infect and kill only insects have been studied for a number of years, but the viruses do not survive in the environment for more than a day after application. Recent efforts have resulted in new preparations of viruses that can extend the effective life of the viruses and make them more effective. In our tests, viruses without protective ingredients lost effectiveness within 24 hours whereas more than 50% activity remained when virus was prepared with materials such as lignin and corn flour. Results from this work should be useful to companies interested in producing microbial pesticides and, eventually to crop producers wishing to reduce chemical inputs to their farms.

Technical Abstract: Nucleoployhedroviruses originally isolated from Anagrapha falcifera (Kirby) and Autographa californica (Speyer) were formulated with various ingredients using a spray dry method and tested for residual field activity in Illinois and Mississippi. In Mississippi, field tests were conducted on cotton in 1997 whereas in Illinois tests were conducted on cabbage in 1997 and 1998. Within 24 h, significant differences were observed among formulations in all tests. Unformulated virus had significantly less insecticidal activity than formulated virus, and formulations containing lignin retained activity significantly longer than other formulations. Blankophor BBH, when encapsulated within the formulation did not enhance nor prolong activity. In most tests, more than 50% activity remained in formulations containing lignin whereas unformulated virus retained less than 50% activity within 24 h after application.