Potato, Solanum tuberosum L., is one of the world’s principal food crops. Important potato insect pests include Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata Say, potato tuberworm, Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller), and aphids, especially as they transmit potato leafroll virus and potato virus Y. Management of insect pests of potato relies almost entirely on chemical insecticides. Potato bre...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella Zeller is a widely distributed, devastating pest of potatoes attacking the foliage and infest the tubers in both field and store causing serious economic damage. As application of PTM granulovirus (PTM-GV) has shown significant reduction in damage, attempts were made to develop a new cell line from this insect to grow PTM-G...

A newly established cell line was obtained from the culture of embryonic cells of the potato tuher moth Phthorinma operculella in low temperature conditions (19" C) using modified Grace's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The population doubling time was about 80 h when cells wele cultivated at 19" C and 38 II at 27" C. The cell line had a relatively homogeneous population consis...