Microsatellite variation in Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations from Argentina

HERRERO, MARÍA I.; MURÚA, MARÍA G.; CASMUZ, AUGUSTO S.; GASTAMINZA, GERARDO; SOSA GÓMEZ, DANIEL R.

AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2021

1461-9555

Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (Dyar) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous pest thathas been reported causing damage in many agricultural crops such as soybean, chickpea and cotton. This species, together with Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), Helicoverpaarmigera (Hübner) and Chloridea virescens (Fabricius), belongs to the Heliothinaecomplex of economic importance in Northwestern Argentina.Many species in the Heliothinae subfamily have developed resistance to insecticidesand insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Managing resistance tothese control tactics in H. gelotopoeon is of high importance and dependant onknowledge of population genetics of this species.The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability and structureof H. gelotopoeon populations from different host plants and geographic regionsof Argentina. Towards this goal, six microsatellite loci were screened across 196individuals.The results obtained revealed high genetic diversity and lack of clear structureamong the populations of H. gelotopoeon studied. This genetic homogeneity betweenpopulations from different geographical regions and hosts could be attributed tothe long-range migratory capacity of Heliothinae and the generalist behaviour ofH. gelotopoeon.