Oryctes rhinoceros is a major problem on oil palm in Indonesia, especially during replanting. Oryctes rhinoceros Nudivirus (OrNV) is a virus that infects both larvae and adults of O. rhinoceros. An extensive survey of OrNV infection on O. rhinoceros in Indonesia has not been conducted. The objective of the research is to identify the rate of OrNV infection in its host from various sampling sites in Indonesia. Adults and larvae of O. rhinoceros were collected from Sumatra, Belitung, Java, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Infected larvae were determined by their physical character, i.e. prolapsed rectum, while infected adults were determined by dissection to observe the swollen midguts. The incidence of OrNV infection in larvae was difficult to estimate, as only 11 out of 417 larvae showed prominent symptoms. OrNV infection rates in adults O. rhinoceros in oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Belitung and Kalimantan were between 64% and 90%, and female O. rhinoceros could still produce eggs even when they were infected by OrNV. In Sulawesi and Java, which are not major oil palm plantation centres, OrNV infection rates were below 16%. It is suspected that most of the O. rhinoceros population from areas intensively cultivated with oil palm is persistently or latently infected by OrNV and the beetles remain fertile.

Rahayuwati, S., Kusumah, Y. M., Prawirosukarto, S., Dadang, & Santoso, T. (2020). The status of oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV) infection in oryctes rhinoceros (coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in indonesia. Journal of Oil Palm Research, 32(4), 582-589. doi:10.21894/jopr.2020.0041