Abstract

MORPHOTAXOMETRIC AND MOLECULAR VALIDATION OF ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODE, STEINERNEMA ABBASI (RHABDITIDA: STEINERNEMATIDAE) WITH MUCRONATE PROCESSES IN ADULTS OF SECOND GENERATIONS OFF SUBHUMID REGION, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Aashaq Hussain Bhat, Ashok K. Chaubey and Sushil K. Upadhyay*

ABSTRACT

The investigations were conducted on soil samples collected from the sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) agriculture fields of sub-humid region, Uttar Pradesh. The worms were diagnosed as member of bicornutum group due to the presence of two horns like cephalic structures in third stage infective juveniles. The newly isolated worms were not identical to pre-existing individuals of same group and can be differentiated from the Steinernema abbasi (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) by the presence of mucronate processes in adults of second generations and relative proportion of oesophagus with body length in juveniles. In the present investigations the recovered populations of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) were identified, characterized and validated as an isolate of S. abbasi with the application of advanced molecular tools. The phylogenetic analyses were based on the efficacy of conserved genes (ITS, D2-D3 and coxI) sequences in taxa validations so that they could later be used as biocontrol agents.

Keywords: Steinernema abbasi, Morphotaxometry, Molecular phylogeny, Conserved genes, Entomopathogenic nematode (EPN), Biocontrol agent.