Genetic variation of Chilo suppressalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) populations in Guilan and west of Mazandaran provinces analysed with RAPD markers

Abstract

Genetic variation of striped stem borer Chilo suppressalis populations in Guilan and Mazandaran provinces in Iran was studied in 2010 by means of RAPD markers. Collected 45 samples from 19 locations (representing 17 counties in Guilan province and 2 counties in Mazandaran province) were classified into four groups of populations: three population groups corresponding to the west, centre, and east of Guilan and one population group from the west of Mazandaran. RAPD PCR analysis showed that Chilo suppressalis populations in Mazandaran are genetically different from the Guilan populations while the western populations of Guilan are genetically separated from the two other populations. The central and the eastern populations of Guilan exhibit some similarities with those of Mazandaran and the similarities are more obvious between the eastern populations of Guilan and the western population of Mazandaran. The population from the centre of Guilan showed the highest level of intra-population genetic variation possibly due to wider rice cultivated area and/or due to higher sample size. The results showed a high level of genetic variation in Chilo suppressalis populations in the two provinces in Iran. In spite of the model species is a widely distributed pest, the study indicated that the samples originated in populations with a different genetic make-up.