Occurrence and virulence of a granulosis virus in phthorimaea operculella (Lep., gelechiidae) populations in indonesia

Indonesian potato growers face increasing problems from Phthorimaea operculella, whose larvae are responsible for damage in potato tubers. Use of biological control agents, and specifically entomopathogenic micro-organisms, could be an alternative method to chemical control. From this perspective, we carried out a screening and an evaluation of local granuloviruses which are naturally present in Indonesian pest populations. The use of an enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay allowed us to isolate three granulovirus strains from P. operculella larvae collected from three different locations in Indonesia: Wonsosobo (Central Java), Lembang (West Java), and Berastagi (Northern Sumatra). Bioassays did not reveal significant differences in the biological properties (LC50 and ST50) of these strains. The restriction pattern of the viral genome (Wonsosobo strain) presented only minor variations compared to other isolates collected in different regions of the world. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.