ABSTRACT

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae) is a common pest of forests and fruit trees throughout the world. This insect is also a major serious pest in Turkey. Nowadays L. dispar can be managed by biological control methods especially, using entomopathogenic viruses. The aim of this study is to characterize entomopathogenic viruses and is the first record of nucleopolyhedrovirus isolated from the gypsy moth in Turkey.

PIBs obtained from infected larvae were measured and photographed using an Olympus BX51 microscope with a DP-25 digital camera and a DP2-BSW Soft Imaging System and examined with a Philips 208 electron microscope (TEM).

The virus had the typical characteristics of nucleopolyhedroviruses. The dimension of the polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIBs) was 2.03±0.25 μm. PIBs varied in size from 1.65 to 2.21 μm and were usually polygonal in shape. Virions in PIBs contained 1 to 8 nucleocapsids per virion. The size of the viral particles was 366.67±54.72 (312-500) x 42.95±6.12 (30-47) nm.

The isolation and characterization of a pure isolate of Lymantria dispar multinucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV-TR) from Turkey is presented for the first time.

Keywords: Lymantria dispar, nucleopolyhedrovirus, biological control