ABSTRACT
Diseases caused by granulosis viruses (GVs) (Baculoviridae: subgroup B) were first described by Paillot in larvae of Pieris brassicae and Agrotis segetum.. Steinhaus first applied the name "granulosis" to the disease when he examined cells of infected Peridroma margaritosa and observed minute granules under the light microscope. One of the main reasons for studying these viruses has been their considerable potential for use as pest control agents. It appears to contain protein components distinct from granulin and may be similar to the polyhedrin membrane in nuclear polyhedrosis viruses (NPVs), which is reported to be composed of carbohydrate and a phosphorylated protein distinct from polyhedrin. Since the 1970s, extensive field trials have been carried out in several countries by many workers using the GVs from Pieris rapae and Cydia pomonella. More limited trials have been conducted with GVs from several other species, example, Phthorimaea operculella, A. segetum, Plodia interpunctella, Lacano-bia oleracea, Homona magnanima, Adoxophyes orana, and C. murinana.
