Further studies on the distribution of a nuclear-polyhedrosis virus of the fall webworm,Hyphantria cunea,in soil

The median infectious concentration (IC₅₀) of a nuclear-polyhedrosis virus of the fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, in soil was 7.14×10⁷ polyhedra per gram of soil. The number of virus-killed larvae equivalent to IC₅₀ decreased with the advance of the larval instar from 22 first-instar to 0.04 seventh-instar larvae per gram of soil. The degree of virus contamination of the surface soil in an area where the virus disease had occurred naturally in host populations was estimated to be as high as IC₅₀ on the basis of soil bioassays. Nearly 1000 virus-killed seventh-instar larvae/m² were necessary to obtain such extensive soil contamination. The possibility of the occurrence of so many virus-killed cadavers in the study area was discussed in relation with the past records of epizootics and host population trends. The distribution of the fallen leaves of large trees favorable to the fall webworm, such as plane and poplar trees, correlated with that of the nuclear-polyhedrosis virus in the soil.