Given below are two statements

Statement 1: Baculoviruses belonging to genus nucleopolyhedrovirus are used as biological control agent.

Statement 2: These viruses are used as they are species-specific and have narrow spectrum insecticidal applications, so can be a good insecticide.

In the light of above statements. choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below

Both statement 1 and statement 2 are correct

The correct answer is Option (1) -Both statement 1 and statement 2 are correct

Baculoviruses are pathogens that attack insects and other arthropods. The majority of baculoviruses used as biological control agents are in the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus. These viruses are excellent candidates for species-specific, narrow spectrum insecticidal applications. They have been shown to have no negative impacts on plants, mammals, birds, fish or even on non-target insects. This is especially desirable when beneficial insects are being conserved to aid in an overall integrated pest management (IPM) programme, or when an ecologically sensitive area is being treated.