FIELD COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT STRAINS OF GYPSY-MOTH NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS-VIRUS AGAINST GYPSY-MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA, LYMANTRIIDAE) IN WESTERN MARYLAND IN 1990
Re. Webb et al., FIELD COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT STRAINS OF GYPSY-MOTH NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS-VIRUS AGAINST GYPSY-MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA, LYMANTRIIDAE) IN WESTERN MARYLAND IN 1990, Journal of economic entomology, 86(4), 1993, pp. 1185-1190
Gypchek, as the LDP226 strain of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of the
gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), was compared in small forest plots
with the Abington isolate (Pass 10), each at three dosages. Also eval
uated were one dose of virus produced in cell culture, one dose of Gyp
chek applied without sunscreen, and an untreated control. A dose-respo
nse was demonstrated for both the Abington and gypchek strains. The Ab
ington isolate killed significantly faster than the Gypchek strain, bu
t no statistical difference was seen in virulence, as measured by larv
al mortality, between the two products. Virus produced in cell culture
was found to be active in the bioassay of field-collected larvae. The
presence or absence of the sunscreen Orzan did not affect results. Tr
eatment effects as measured by late-season field parameters (larval mo
rtality, defoliation, and egg mass population change) were obscured by
forest-wide natural mortality factors.