2007/09/27 by S. Asser-Kaiser, Eva Fritsch, Karin Undorf‐Spahn +8 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects #Insect Resistance and Genetics #Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1146542
openalex publication_date 2007/09/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Insect-specific baculoviruses are increasingly used as biological control agents of lepidopteran pests in agriculture and forestry, and they have been previously regarded as robust to resistance development by the insects. However, in more than a dozen cases of field resistance of the codling moth Cydia pomonella to commercially applied C. pomonella granulovirus (CpGV) in German orchards, resistance ratios exceed 1000. The rapid emergence of resistance is facilitated by sex-linkage and concentration-dependent dominance of the major resistance gene and genetic uniformity of the virus. When the gene is fixed, resistance levels approach 100,000-fold. Our findings highlight the need for development of resistance management strategies for baculoviruses.