Molecular characterization of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) populations in different host plants

• Grant number: 09/17694-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2010
• End date: April 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Principal Investigator: André Luiz Lorenzon
• Grantee: André Luiz Lorenzon
• Host Institution: Instituto Agronômico (IAC). Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Whitefly Bemisia tabaci populations are generally composed of complex biotypes, morphologically similar, varying as to the ability of virus transmittion, in the reproducion on particular hosts and in the physiological disorders induced in cultivated plants such as squashes and tomatoes. The increasingly importance of this species in the world is due to virus transmittion to several crops. The wide adaptability of B. tabaci to different geographical regions of the world favors the development of new biotypes among the populations and increases the range of new hosts. In order to characterize fifteen populations of B. tabaci collected on different hosts from different geographical regions of Brazil, the genetic variability will be assessed by microsatellite markers and mitochondrial sequences. (AU)