Agrotechnology

Nuclear Polyhedrosis Viruses - An ecofriendly biopesticide

3^rd International Conference on Agriculture & Horticulture

October 27-29, 2014 Hyderabad International Convention Centre, India

Ranjitha Gurram

Posters: Agrotechnol

Abstract:

Use of chemical biopesticides have caused negative impact on environment by affecting development of insect resistance, genetic variation in plants, increase in toxic residue through food chain and animal feed thus increasing health problems and many more. This has made it essential to introduce measures which can harness foresaid challenges. Use of Biopesticides can play a major role in dealing with these challenges in a sustainable way. The indiscriminate use of pesticides for the last 40 years has almost eliminated natural enemies from many crop eco-systems. This scenario has led many countries to consider the potential of biological control as a component of pest management. The viruses belonging to 11 families are pathogenic to insects of which Baculoviridae is important. Baculoviruses are large double stranded, covalently closed, circular DNA genome associated with a highly basic protein. The DNA-protein complex is contained by a rod shaped nucleocapsid containing capsid proteins. One or more nucleocapsids are packaged within a single lipo-protein envelop to form singly embedded or multiply-embbeded virus particle or viriod respectively. These structures are occluded within a crystalline matrix, referred to as polyhedron or granule. It is transmitted orally, when the larvae ingest material contaminated with the virus. The pathogen invades through the gut wall. It reproduces in the internal tissues, causing disintegration of internal organs and death, within 10-14 days. The host ruptures, distributing viral occlusion bodies into the environment to infect other individuals tissues of susceptible insect. The infected insect reaches top of the tree and hand downwads causing Wipfelkrankheit or tree top disease. Nuclear polyhedrosis viruses recorded in India includes Helicoverpa armigera, S. litura, S. exigua, Amsacta moorei, Agrotis ipsilon, Anadividia peponis, Trichoplusia ni, Adisura atkinsoni, Plutella xylostella, Corcyra cephalonica, Mythimna separata and Phthorimaea operculella etc.