Insecticides viral

The production of baculoviruses is technically and economically feasible in living host organisms, at the commercial plant level or as a modest "cottage industry." The cost of commercial production of some viral insecticides is still relatively high, but a Baculovlrus production venture could become financially attractive if appropriate government agencies would share research and development costs with the industry. 

Jacques, R.P., 1985. Stability of insect vimses in the environment. In Viral insecticides for biological control. K. Moramorasch, and K. E. Sherman Eds., Academic, New York, pp. 285-369. 

Maramorosch, K. and Sherman, K.E. Viral Insecticides for Biological Control Academic Orlando, FL.,... 

Genetic engineering of other microbial and viral insecticides. 

Vasil eva, V.L. et al. (1984). Effect of baculoviruses on health of workers involved in production of viral insecticides, Vrachebnoe delo (5), 116-119, May. Translanted in JPRS Report, Science and Technology, USSR Life Sciences. 

Vlak, J. M. Rohrmann, G. F. In Viral Insecticides for Biological Control,... 

Methodologies most often used for formulation and application of viral insecticides are those developed for conventional chemical insecticides. Viral insecticides are most effectively formulated as wettable powders by lyophilization or spray dry methods. These formulations are best standardized using both counts of occluded virus particle concentration and bioassay activity. Viral insecticides are typically applied as sprays against larval pests of Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera (sawfly) using both aerial and ground equipment. Spray parameters for viral insecticides are not well understood and available equipment is not suitable for their most efficaceous use. Much of the research on virus application has been on development of adjuvants for tank mixtures to overcome problems with plant coverage and sunlight inactivation. 

Viral diseases have been isolated from several hundred insect species (1). Although these viruses represent several families, those studied for use as control agents are almost exclusively limited to occluded viruses (nuclear polyhedrosis [NPV] and granulosis [GV]) of Baculoviridae. Known occluded baculoviruses are mostly restricted to larvae of Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera (saw-flies), thus limiting viral insecticide development primarily to these two orders. These viruses are safe (2, 3), virulent, efficaceous (4) and can be produced in quantity in insect hosts. 

The numerous research programs around the world on development of viral insecticides have resulted in a wide array of technical reports on their formulation and application. There is little current research in this area, and available information has been reviewed in depth in numerous reviews (4, 8-14). This report will summarize progress in these areas and elaborate on areas where the need for additional progress is most critical. 

Formulation requirements for viral insecticides are similar to those of conventional chemical insecticides (10). The formulation must be a standardized product with little loss of activity during the formulation process, it must be stable in storage, and have good mixing and spraying qualities in the field. The additives must be safe to animals (2, 3) and plants. 

Viral insecticides are typically used in situations where they must compete with chemical insecticides for a market share. Further, they are applied with equipment that was developed for dispensing chemical insecticides. Although they are seldom as efficaceous (i.e. less mortality and slower-acting) as most chemical insecticides, production practices and available equipment require that they be used in this way. Ideally viruses should be used in a manner that facilitates their dispersal potential and epizootic development within and between generations of the insect host. Where cropping practices and pest population size allow this, viral pesticides have been more successful 30, 31). 

When a viral insecticide is applied against a subeconomic population for control of succeeding generations, it may be desirable to direct the application to larger larvae. The quantity of polyhe-... 

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