Abstract
The tent caterpillar (Malacosoma indicum) is a serious pest that attacks a wide range of fruit and forest trees in Jammu & Kashmir (J & K) range of North-Western Himalayas. Investigations were carried out during the period March, 2012 to July, 2015 to isolate and bioprospect naturally occurring NPVs as potent biopesticides against this pest. The isolated viruses, M. indicum multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (MainMNPV) were confirmed to be double stranded DNA virus belonging to the family Baculoviridae. Molecular identification of the viral DNA and determination of the partial sequences of the polh gene of MainMNPV isolates showed their similarity to the NPV of other insects and was more closely related to the M. californicum NPV in the NCBI taxonomy database. This is the first report from Indian subcontinent and worldwide about the occurrence of NPVs in natural larval populations of M. indicum. The field application of MainMNPV against the host populations on walnut with the pre-standardised dosage of 1 × 1012 POBs/acre reduced the larval population density up to 39-63%. In the year following application, the larval population density in the treated blocks was 24-28% less than in control blocks. Therefore, ecofriendly management of M. indicum is possible by the use of baculovirus based biopesticides in various cropping systems of J & K.
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