Effective inoculation method and optimum concentration of Oryctes virus for biological control of coconut beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) adults

The study was carried out to determine the effective inoculation method and optimum concentration of local Oryctes virus (OrV) for successful infection of Oryctes rhinoceros (L.) adults in laboratory which released to the field to spread the viral disease among healthy larvae and beetles for their biological control. 0.1ml of 104 ppm of viral suspension was introduced orally to one set of beetles and another set of beetles were allowed to swimming in the suspension for 10 minutes. Beetles were dissected at different intervals to determine the period taken for infection. Five concentrations (101 ppm to 105 ppm) of virus suspensions were introduced to adult beetles orally to find the lethal concentration (LC50) and lethal time (LT50). Percentage of infected beetles was significantly different (P