Identificación molecular de Helicoverpa armígera (Noctuidae: Heliothinae) en el departamento de Amambay, Paraguay

Abstract

The Helicoverpa armigera(Noctuidae: Heliothinae) is a polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest distributed throughout South America. The objective of this research was to identify by PCR-RFLP molecular analysis, the presence of H. armigerain the Amambay region in Paraguay. Delta trapswith sexual pheromone were deployed in the 2016/2017 season soybean crop distributed at the following locations: Pedro Juan Caballero, Zanja Pytã, Capitán Bado, Karapã’ĩ and Bella Vista Norte. Sampling cloth was used for collecting caterpillars. The collected specimens were sorted by external morphological characters, individualized in labeled jars containing pure alcohol. 24 samples were sent to the Arthropods Molecular Ecology Laboratory ESALQ/USP for identification by PCR-RFLP molecular analysis. Ten specimens of H. armigerabelonging to Fortuna and Zanja Pytã were identified. Ten other specimens were identified as H. zeabelonging to Cerro Cora'i, Captain Bado, Cerro Kuatiá and Karapã’ĩ. The remaining four samples did not amplify by PCR-RFLP. The analysis revealed the occurrence of H. armigerain soybean and maize crops in the northern region of Paraguay

Keywords

• h. armigera
• pheromone
• delta trap
• molecular identification