Ultraviolet Protective Efficacy of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze Black Tea Extract on Spodoptera litura Nucleopolyhedrovirus Infectivity Against Third-Instar Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) Larvae Under Laboratory Conditions
Keywords:
Spodoptera litura, Camellia sinensis, nucleopolyhedrovirus, ultraviolet protectant, biopesticide formulation, baculovirusAbstract
Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), the tobacco cutworm, inflicts substantial crop losses across the tropical and subtropical regions of South Asia, with infestation pressure increasing markedly in rain-fed legume and vegetable production systems in Nepal. Spodoptera litura Nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpliNPV) is a target-specific biopesticide with strong potential for larval suppression, yet its widespread field adoption is constrained by rapid ultraviolet-B-induced degradation of occlusion bodies (OBs) on plant surfaces. This study evaluated the UV-protective capacity of Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze black tea extract at concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5% (v/v) incorporated into SpliNPV isolate JTM 97C formulations and bioassayed against third-instar S. litura larvae under controlled laboratory conditions. A completely randomized design with eight treatments and four replications was employed; kaolin clay at 2% (w/v) served as a reference UV-screening agent. Response variables measured at 7 days post-inoculation were cessation of feeding, larval mortality, pupation rate, imago abnormality, and total infection rate. Analysis of variance revealed highly significant treatment effects on larval mortality, pupation rate, and total infection (p < 0.01) and significant effects on feeding cessation and imago abnormality (p < 0.05). Larval mortality in the 2.0% tea treatment reached 43.75%, exceeding the virus-only control (18.75%) by more than twofold. The kaolin-amended formulation produced the highest mortality (78.75%) and total infection (100%). Probit analysis estimated LC₅₀ at 8.5% and LT₅₀ at 4.0 days for the tea extract series. Pearson correlation and principal component analysis confirmed strong associations between UV-protectant activity and larval infection parameters. Black tea extract at 2.0% concentration represents a botanically derived, biodegradable, and locally accessible UV protectant for SpliNPV formulation development in Nepal.
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