Production of the Granulosis Virus of Chilo infuscatellus

• Chilo infuscatellus is a devastating pest of sugarcane. Management of the pest with insecticides has become extremely difficult and the search for alternatives has yielded a granulosis virus.
• The virus is effective when applied at 1.5x1013 OB/ha repeatedly three or four times on early cane under field condition.

• The granulosis virus is produced in vivo. The method employed in production is by oral feeding treatment.
• Fresh bits of sugarcane shoots from field are used.
• The cut splits are washed and placed on moist filter paper in 6.6x7.4 cm containers @ 3 bits per container.
• A dose of 1x108OB/ml in 0.01% Teepol is prepared and larvae in 4th instar collected from field are treated by dipping the head into the suspension containing the virus in a watch glass.
• The larvae @ 1-2/shoot bit are transferred to the container and the jar is closed. The feed is replaced with fresh ones every alternate day.
• The larvae begin to die after 6 days and are collected in sterile containers and stored in a freezer.
• The processing methods are similar to that of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus.
• In differential centrifugation, the cadavers are centrifuged at 700rpm initially and at 8000 rpm for 30 min finally to collect the pellet.

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