Development of Granulovirus (GV) Insecticide

Granulovirus (GV) infects the dermis, adipose tissue, and blood cells of lepidopteran insects. When the larvae are infected, they show loss of appetite, weakness, slow movement, swelling, and discoloration of the abdomen. This is followed by a rupture of the epidermis and a flow of fishy, cloudy, milky pus. Currently, GV is effectively used for biological control.

Lifeasible is committed to providing comprehensive and effective solutions for biopesticide development. We are dedicated to developing insecticides against insect viruses. We offer virus insecticide solutions that can help control agricultural and forestry pests.

Figure 1. Structure observation of the Mythimna (formerly Pseudaletia) unipuncta granulovirus Hawaiian strain (Li Y, et al., 2021).

Insecticidal mechanism of GV

When GV is swallowed by insects, it is lysed in the midgut intestinal lumen and releases many virus particles, which not only replicate new daughter viruses in the nucleus of midgut cells but also form part of the granulosa and the newborn virus penetrates out of the midgut cells into the blood cavity, where it infects other sensitive tissues. Insect trauma and egg laying by parasitic natural enemies can cause GV to subcutaneously infected, and can also be transmitted vertically via eggs.

Infestation with insects by GV

Endangered larvae show typical symptoms such as slow movement, swollen body segments, and a milky white body color and die 4-7 days after infection. The body wall of dead larvae is fragile, and many granules flow out after breaking. The virus can infect other healthy larvae through the feces of diseased worms or dead worms, resulting in mass larval mortality.

Characteristics of GV insecticide action

• Strong host specificity and selective killing of target pests. GV insecticides show no harm to non-target pests and show strong specificity by targeting only target pests.
• GV is safe and harmless to humans, livestock, poultry, and crops. GV already exists in nature, and it is less likely to cause the re-emergence of significant pests and the rise of minor pests, etc. It also does not harm natural enemies and benefits ecological balance.
• GV can cause epidemics and has obvious after-effects critical for long-term pest control.

What do we offer for GV insecticide development?

• GV production. Our primary propagation methods are cell culture and in vivo value-added techniques. Additionally, by utilizing technologies like fermentation, we can generate GV on a massive scale.
• Genetic engineering. Given some of the shortcomings of insect viruses, we can use genetic engineering methods to enhance the insecticidal spectrum and virulence of the virus. For example, we have used GV insecticides to enhance their insecticidal efficacy against target pests by removing certain genes that do not affect virus replication and infection. We have also inserted exogenous genes that increase insecticidal virulence behind their strong promoters.
• Isolation and characterization of viruses. For the precise identification and grading of GV strains, we used PCR and DNA sequencing.

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Lifeasible is an industry-leading biotechnology company committed to biopesticide development and providing effective guidance and strategies for sustainable agriculture. If you are interested in us, please feel free to contact us.