Physical maps and biological activity of seven isolates of Helicoverpa armigeranucleopolyhedrovirus from the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract: In the present study, seven previously identified Helicoverpa armigera NPV(HaSNPV) isolates from the Iberian Peninsula were subjected to molecular and biologicalcharacterization and compared with a Chinese genotype (HaSNPV-G4). Physical maps withEcoRI indicated that the Spanish strain HaSNPV-SP1 bore the largest genome while the otherspresented deletions of varying sizes. Biological characterization revealed no differences inpathogenicity (effective doses) among the different isolates. However, they showed variations invirulence (speed of kill), with HaSNPV-SP1 being, by far, the fastest in killing larvae, includingthe reference HaSNPV-G4. In terms of productivity (number of occlusion bodies yielded perlarva), HaSNPV-SP1 was one of the most productive isolates. In conclusion, HaSNPV-SP1evidences highly desirable biological characteristics for its development as a bioinsecticide.