Pengaruh Waktu dan Tempat Penyimpanan Biopestisida SlNPV Terenkapsulasi Kitosan terhadap Mortalitas Ulat Grayak (Spodoptera litura)

Abstract

Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is an important polyphagous pest, attacking several types of plants. Efforts to control armyworms (S. litura) using a biological agent in the form of a toxic Nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) that infects the digestive tract of its host insect. The encapsulation technique can protect the biopesticide. The durability of SlNPV products is still unknown, and how long they can be stored without reducing their effectiveness in controlling target pests. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of storage time and storage location, as well as their interaction, on the effectiveness of chitosan-encapsulated SlNPV. The study used a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with two factors: storage time and storage location. Storage. The observed variables were the mortality rate of fall armyworms (S. litura), mortality rate (LT50), color change, and product weight loss. Mortality resulting from the interaction between time and storage location was 73%-87%, with storage time 77.87%-84.44%, and storage location 77.87%-85.56%, with an LT50 value of 5-7 days, consistent color, and very low weight loss. These values remained within the effective range, indicating that chitosan encapsulation was able to maintain the stability and virulence of SlNPV during storage.