Method of Protecting Plants from Insects by Applying Gypsy Moth Virus with Enhanced Polyhedra Production Stability

Forest Service

This invention is an improved strain of the Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LdNPV), which is a natural agent for gypsy moth control. This improved strain exhibits enhanced stability in polyhedra production levels and a reduced tendency to mutate to viral forms that produce few polyhedra. The virus, in the polyhedral form, can be administered to trees by aerial spraying after combination with an inert carrier. The significant advantage in the use of LdNPV for gypsy moth control lies in its specificity for the gypsy moth. The virus is unable to infect other species and is therefore safe for all other flora and fauna within a treatment area. Production of the improved strain is more economically feasible than its wild type counterpart due to its enhanced stability, which will enable it to be commercially competitive.

Patent Number 5,462,732 (Divisional 5,420,031), issued October 31, 1995
 and May 30, 1995