Virus to control potato moth
Monday, July 29, 2013 - 09:01
in Biology & Nature
New biological insecticides have emerged in recent years which make use of so-called "entomopathogenic" viruses that are harmful to insects, in particular the baculovirus. To identify the virus in this family that will most effectively control the Guatemalan potato moth, the French-Ecuadorian research team have analysed the pathogens among moths from all over the world. And the winner is… the granulosis virus, or granulovirus, which appears to be the most wide-spread. The researchers detected it in moths from twelve different countries. Moreover, it has the widest activity spectrum: it also attacks five other tuber pests.