Novel biopesticide based onErinnyis ellobetabaculovirus: characterization and preliminary field evaluation to controlErinnyis elloin rubber plantations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The hornworn Erinnyis ello is the major pest of natural rubber crops in Colombia, mainly controlled using toxic chemical insecticides. The use of E. ello Betabaculovirus is an environmentally sustainable alternative for its control. The aim of the present work was to characterize a prototype biopesticide formulation and evaluate its efficacy under different conditions. RESULTS: Quality control evaluations of formulated biopesticide revealed that all the parameters evaluated were under the permissible level. The lethal concentrations LC 50 and LC 90 of the biopesticide were 4.3 × 10 3 and 5.5 × 10 4 occlusion bodies (OBs) mL −1 , respectively. Biopesticide efficacies against second and fourth instar larvae under greenhouse conditions were higher than 80%. Evaluation of two application rates in a clonal garden resulted in 84% and 88% efficacy, comparable to that obtained with the chemical. The biopesticide in a commercial plantation showed efficacies between 74% and 82%. Biopesticide post-application persistence was estimated at least in 1 week under field natural conditions. Results allowed selection of the lowest evaluated dose (1 × 10 11 OBs ha −1 ) as the basis for further field evaluations. CONCLUSION: Formulated ErelGV showed high efficacy to control the hornworm in rubber crops and high potential to be included in integrated pest management programs, thus it could be an interesting alternative to replace agrochemicals.

Bio-Insecticidal Potential of Nucleopolyhedrovirus and Granulovirus Mixtures to Control the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

“…Mixture M3 (97.5% of SfCOL + 2.5% of VG008) selected for its higher insecticidal activity was formulated as a wettable powder (WP) and then characterized following the methodologies described by [6] and [18].…”

NMR‐based metabolomics and bioassays to study phytotoxic extracts and putative phytotoxins from Mediterranean plant species

“…In the last decades, several studies have been performed in order to discover the use of plant-derived metabolites exerting phytotoxic activity useful for the safe management of several agro-ecosystems. [2][3][4] This research is supported by the well-known strategies that plants developed to withstand to the harsh conditions that characterised the habitats in which they lived. These strategies rely on the production and release in the environment of allelochemicals and other natural toxins inhibiting the growth and development of other plants, 5 insects 6 and microorganisms.…”

“…In the last decades, several studies have been performed in order to discover the use of plant‐derived metabolites exerting phytotoxic activity useful for the safe management of several agro‐ecosystems . This research is supported by the well‐known strategies that plants developed to withstand to the harsh conditions that characterised the habitats in which they lived.…”

A novel cypovirus found in a betabaculovirus co-infection context contains a poxvirus immune nuclease (poxin)-related gene

“…The cassava hornworm Erinnyis ello ello (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) (Linnaeus, 1758) has been observed in many plant species, preferably in family Euphorbiaceae, such as Manihot esculenta (cassava) and Hevea braziliensis (rubber tree). The cassava hornworm is a major pest in cassava crops and is also the most serious pest of the rubber-tree plantation, causing a great impact on production [12][13][14]. Cassava is an important crop in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide and part of the diet of many people in regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America [15,16].…”

“…Many Erinnyis ello granulovirus (ErelGV) isolates have also been used as biopesticides to control this pest in other countries, including Colombia and Venezuela in cassava crops [17,19,20]. Likewise, this virus has also being used to control E. ello in rubber-tree plantations in Colombia [14,21]. Among these isolates, one in particular, which had been recovered from rubber trees in Pará state (Brazil) had the peculiar feature of presenting a possible mixed infection with another virus when OBs from dead insects were observed by light microscopy.…”