Current Status of Baculovirus Implications for Insect Pest Control

News source: Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada
University, Indonesia
For further information, contact Wijonarko A.
E-mail: faperta@ugm.ac.id, 2003-05-01

Baculoviruses As Bioinsecticides

Baculoviruses have been promoted as promising bioinsecticide agents for more than half a century now. However, only a few have been found successful as biological control agents, and almost none have been proven commercially successful or have been widely used for large-scale insect pest control. Today, bioinsecticides represent only a small fraction of the world pesticide market. The success of the Bt crop marked a special achievement in the growth of bioinsecticides.

Slow Kill Rate and Limited Host Range

The main constraint for baculoviruses to be developed as bioinsecticide is their poor performance compared to chemical insecticide, particularly their slow speed of killing and limited host range.

Need for New Application Methods

It is important to understand the nature of baculoviruses, and to explore the possibilities to develop new ways in applying the baculovirus as a bioinsecticide.

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