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Title: Classification, genetic variation, and biological activity of nucleopolyhedrovirus samples from larvae of the heliothine pests heliothis virescens, helicoverpa zea, and helicoverpa armigera

Author
item Rowley, Daniel
item Popham, Holly
item Harrison, Robert - Bob

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2010
Publication Date: 12/12/2010
Citation: Rowley, D.L., Popham, H.J., Harrison, R.L. 2010. Classification, genetic variation, and biological activity of nucleopolyhedrovirus samples from larvae of the heliothine pests heliothis virescens, helicoverpa zea, and helicoverpa armigera. Meeting Abstract. 58:125.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A PCR-based method was used to classify 109 isolates of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV; Baculoviridae: Alphabaculovirus) collected worldwide from larvae of Heliothis virescens, Helicoverpa zea, and Helicoverpa armigera. Partial nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of three highly conserved genes (lef-8, lef-9, and polh) indicated that 83 of these isolates were variants of the H. zea-H. armigera single nucleopolyhedrovirus (Hz/HaSNPV) species group. Twenty of the isolates were variants of a previously sequenced but otherwise undescribed multiple NPV from H. armigera, HearMNPV. Four of the isolates were variants of Autographa californica MNPV (AcMNPV), and one isolate was a variant of Trichoplusia ni SNPV (TnSNPV). One sample from Colombia, South America, contained three distinct NPVs, including an AcMNPV variant, a HearMNPV variant, and a previously undescribed NPV that grouped with a clade containing TnSNPVand Chrysodeixis chalcites NPV. In bioassays of a selection of isolates against H. zea, the commercially available Gemstar isolate of HzSNPV killed larvae faster than other Hz/HaSNPV isolates, and Hz/HaSNPV isolates killed larvae faster than HearMNPV isolates. Gemstar and the HearMNPV isolates exhibited higher LC50s than the other Hz/HaSNPV isolates tested. These results indicate that viruses of the Hz/HaSNPV and HearMNPV species groups are major viral pathogens of heliothine pests worldwide.