title: Stage-specific insecticidal characteristics of a nucleopolyhedrovirus isolate from Chrysodeixis chalcites enhanced by optical brighteners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chrysodeixis chalcites is a major noctuid pest of banana crops in the Canary Islands. The stage-specific susceptibility of this pest to C. chalcites single nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchSNPV-TF1) was determined, as well as the effect of selected optical brighteners as enhancers of primary infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Susceptibility to ChchSNPV-TF1 occlusion bodies (OBs) decreased as larval stage increased; second instars (L2) were 10,000-fold more susceptible than sixth instars (L6). Virus speed of kill was 42 h faster in L2 than in L6 . OB production increased in late instars; L6 larvae produced 23-fold more OBs than L4 . Addition of 10 mg mL(-1) Tinopal enhanced OB pathogenicity by 4.43- to 397-fold depending on instar, whereas 10 µL mL(-1) Leucophor resulted in potentiation of OB pathogenicity from 1.46- to 143-fold. Mean time to death decreased by 14 to 26 h when larvae consumed OBs in mixtures with 10 mg mL(-1) Tinopal, or 10 µL mL(-1) Leucophor, although in these treatments OB yields were reduced by up to 8.5-fold (Tinopal) or up to 3.8-fold (Leucophor).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results have clear applications for the use of ChchSNPV-TF1 as a biological insecticide in control programs against C. chalcites in the Canary Islands.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, CSIC-Gobierno de Navarra, Mutilva Baja, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Oihane
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simón
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Primitivo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caballero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000821:virology; D009036:Moths / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000821:virology*; D017924:Nucleopolyhedroviruses / Q000502:physiology*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007306:Insecticides
keywords: Chrysodeixis chalcites; insecticidal activity; nucleopolyhedrovirus; optical brighteners; pest management