Sunlight ultraviolet protection of the Heliothis nuclear polyhedrosis virus through starch-encapsulation technology.

In laboratory experiments, starch-encapsulated formulations of Heliothis nuclear polyhedrosis virus (HzSNPV) with and without an ultraviolet radiation protectant, were exposed on glass coverslips to simulated sunlight ultraviolet (SUV). All SUV-exposed, starch-encapsulated formulations of HzSNPV containing a protectant were significantly more active against larvae of the noctuid Heliothis virescens than controls without the protectant.