Spodoptera exigua is one of the worldwide distributed agricultural pest insects and has been known to show high resistance to conventional chemical insecticides. Autographa california multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) has been used as eco-friendly biological control agent for S. exigua, as it exhibits high level of host specificity, stability and safety. In this study, for formulation of AcMNPV, the optimal conditions for mass-production of AcMNPV polyhedra was established using S. exigua larvae. Mass-produced AcMNPV polyhedra was formulated as wettable powder using microencapsulation method and its control efficacy against S. exigua was evaluated both in laboratory and semi-field experiment. Chinese cabbage treated with the AcMNPV formulation showed significantly reduced damage rates, suggesting that the AcMNPV formulation in this study could be useful for control of S. exigua

• Minghui Wang(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
• Jae Young Choi(Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
• Dong Hwan Park(Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
• Siyi Liu(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)
• Yeon Ho Je(Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea)