The complete genome and biological activity of a novel Spodoptera litura multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus for controlling Spodoptera frugiperda

The fall armyworm, known as Spodoptera frugiperda, is a notorious invasive pest wreaking havoc on agricultural crops globally. In the course of this study, a novel variant of the S. litura multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltMNPV-T0) was isolated from S. litura larvae found on tobacco plants in China. This research delved into the molecular and biological characteristics of SpltMNPV-T0. Electron microscopy revealed that this variant exhibited the characteristics features of a baculovirus. The complete genome of SpltMNPV-T0 was 137,925 bp in length, with a G + C content of 42.88 %, housing a total of 130 open reading frames (ORFs). Phylogenetically, this variant was similar to the published genome of the SpltMNPV-G2 strain, aligning itself with the Alphabaculovirus group II. However, it distinguished itself from the SpltMNPV-II in terms of sequence similarity (76.45 %), shared ORFs (only 63 genes in common), and gene order (exhibiting inversion and reordering). Crucially, SpltMNPV-T0 demonstrated notable effectiveness in controlling third-instar larvae of S. frugiperda and S. litura. Furthermore, the virulence of crude SpltMNPV-T0 matched that of the commercially available virus-based pesticide (SpltMNPV-KY), as evident in terms of mortality rates and speed of kill. These findings yield valuable insights into the molecular biology and functional genomics of this newly discovered variant, characterized by its high virulence. Such knowledge holds promise for advancing bio-control technologies aimed at mitigating the destructive impact of the pest S. frugiperda.