Genetic diversity of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populations in Türkiye

Diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is an important worldwide pest of plants belonging to the Brassicaceae family. In this study, we investigated genetic diversity of DBM populations in Brassicaceae production areas in Türkiye using the partial mtDNA CO1 gene region.

We determined 43 samples from 11 different populations for haplotype variations using the partial mitochondrial DNA sequences a 684 bp fragment of the CO1 gene.

The results indicated that, the average haplotype diversity (Hd) was determined as 0.962 and nucleotide diversity (π) was determined as 0.557%. In neutrality tests, negative values were obtained in Tajima’s D and Fu’ Fs tests (Fu’ Fs=-0.40, Tajima’s D=-0.01). Tajima’s D test was not found significant (p > 0.05). Fst value among DBM population estimates ranged from 0 to 0.631. Barcode gap distance was determined as 1.6%, but the intraspecies of genetic distance were found to be 0.15%.

In conclusion, the presented study provided detailed and fundamental information about the genetic diversity of DBM populations in Türkiye. Further studies are needed to develop alternative pest management strategies for DBM populations integrating genetic approaches.