POPULATION STRUCTURE OF THE POTATO TUBER MOTH ,PHTHORIMAEA OPERCULELLA (ZELLER) , LEPIDOPTERA: GELECHIIDAE) IN DELTA EGYPT USING RAPD ANALYSIS

Abstract

Little is known about the nature and extent of genetic diversity in potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller),Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) has the potential to become a powerfulnew DNA fingerprinting technique for studying genetic relationships and genetic diversity in insects. Random amplifiedpolymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR)was used to examine variation in three governorates in the Deltaof Egypt. The objective of this study was to provide baseline information on the population structure of potato tuber worm inEgypt. The applicability of CTAB -based DNA extraction protocol provided suitable for AFLP analysis. Potato tuber wormadults were collected from potato fields in the major production regions in the Egypt . We used 20 random 10-oligomer primerindividuals and 179 polymorphic AFLP bands were used to infer the geographic population structure of potato tuber worm.This study provides baseline data for the molecular characterization of potato tuber worm populations, which will aid in trackingthe origin of future invasions within Egypt.