Molecular detection and pathogenicity of a nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from looper caterpillar (Hyposidra talaca), a tea pest

Abstract

Hyposidra talaca is a major defoliating pest of tea plants in north-eastern part of India. In this study, we look for variations (if any) in the attacking virus. Viral samples were collected from different regions of the northern part of West Bengal in India and were analyzed by PCR technique to study the variations across the region. The partial segment of the HytaNPV polyhedrin gene was cloned and sequenced. A 527 bp nucleotide sequence containing highly conserved region from polyhedrin gene of HytaNPV was observed. The blast homology search for studied polyhedrin gene showed 98% sequence identity with the sequence of previous reported NPV of H. talaca, H. infixaria and Buzura suppressaria. Pathogenicity study against second instar H. talaca indicated that the LC50 values ranged from 4.61 × 105 to 7.57 × 105 polyhedral occlusion bodies per ml (POBs/ml) and the LT50 values ranged from 4.2 to 6.66 days. Sequencing result reveals that the same HytaNPV strain dominates across this area and the pathogenicity indicates its potential as an alternative to chemical insecticides to control H. talaca.

Assessment of Toxic Effects of Cypermethrin and Nucleopolyhedrovirus in Hyposidra talaca Walker (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

“…After ingestion of occlusion bodies (OBs) they have to be dissolved and the released virions have to invade the columnar epithelial cell of the mid-gut to establish and spreading of infection (Harrison and Hoover, 2012). The leaf-dip bioassay of four HytaNPV isolates on 2 nd instar H. talaca larvae resulted lower LC50 values than our results (Mukhopadhyay et al, 2011, Dasgupta et al, 2016. Unlike cypermethrin, emamectin benzoate and Bt-based biopesticide (Ghosh, 2021), a low LC value for NPV in leaf-dip method cannot be explained on the basis of the bioassay method.…”

Comprehensive analysis of single molecule sequencing-derived complete genome and whole transcriptome of Hyposidra talaca nuclear polyhedrosis virus

“…Recently, HytaNPV, a naturally occurring baculovirus, was reported to be effective against H . talaca 7 – 9 . We have applied PacBio single-molecule sequencing to obtain the complete sequence of HytaNPV.…”

Contribution of a parasitoid species to multiplication and transmission of a multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus in caterpillars

“…Methods using PCR, immunohistochemistry and recombinant virus carrying fluorescent proteins have previously been used to explore the proliferation of baculoviruses in host larvae (Dasgupta, Singh, Das, Pathak, & Bhola, ; Murillo, Munoz, Williams, Mugeta, & Caballero, ). Recently, the emergence of RT‐qPCR has improved our ability to accurately quantify insect viruses (Arneodo et al, ).…”