Summary
A virus disease of the «granulosis» type was encountered by us in laboratoryreared caterpillars ofPieris brassicae L. This disease was first seen byPaillot (1924–25) and the virus was recently described byVago, Lépine andCroissant (1955). Extraction of the granules was made in the laboratory and a series of tests was designed to know the possibility of inducing the disease in healthy caterpillars (no attempt was made to determine the median lethal dose).
After a first series of successful laboratory experiments an application was made in the field. (in La Crau — Var).
Caterpillars of the last three instars were treated (in the beginning of December 1955) with a suspension prepared by grinding dead cabbageworms. A portable automatic compressed air sprayer was used and a non germicide wetting agent was added.
Typical signs of the disease appeared three weeks after treatment and death of the caterpillars occured within a period of ten days.
In laboratory tests, when treated caterpillars matured to adults, the butterflies laid fertile eggs but a high percentage of first instar larvae died of the disease.
The success of the field tests is encouraging to continue the study of a possible use of virus diseases as means of Biological Control of pests.
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I.N.R.A., Laboratoire de biocénotique et de lutte biologique de La Minière.
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Biliotti, E., Grison, P. & Martouret, D. L'utilisation d'une maladie a virus comme méthode de lutte biologique contrePieris brassicae L. . Entomophaga 1, 35–44 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02377874
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02377874