Viral Control of the European Pine Sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy) in Turkey

Authors: MUSTAFA YAMAN, REMZİYE NALÇACIOĞLU, ZİHNİ DEMİRBAĞ

Abstract: The European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffr.) (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), is a serious pest of pine plantations and ornamentals. Chemical pesticides used to control this pest have a detrimental effect on the environment. The Neodiprion sertifer nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NsNPV) frequently causes considerable decreases in the populations but doses not harm other animals or plants. In this study, we tested five different concentrations of NsNPV against the larvae of N. sertifer and showed viral infection using Giemsa staining. When a viral concentration of 5x10^9 PIB/ml (Polyhedral Inclusion Body) was utilized, larval mortality started on the fourth day and reached 90.4% on the ninth day of the bioassay. However, lower viral concentrations, 5x10^9, 5x10^8 and 5x10^7 PIB/ml, showed the same mortality, but the infection periods occurred on different days. This study shows that NsNPV can be effectively used against N. sertifer as a safe biological control agent in Turkey.

Keywords: Neodiprion sertifer, Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus, Biological Control

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