Molecular Biodiversity of Entomopathogenic Nematode, Heterorhabditis indica, Using DNA Markers

Six populations of entomopathogenic nematodes belonging to Heterorhabditis indica collected from Himachal Pradesh and Ghaziabad, UP were examined for genetic relatedness by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Twenty-three operon random primers of OPA, OPB and OPC series amplified 151 scorable markers with fragment size ranging from 300 to 2800 base pairs. Cluster analysis of the populations using scorable markers revealed that the six populations could be grouped into three clusters with genetic similarity ranging from 63% to 76%. Differences observed in the RAPD profiles of different isolates could be used for developing molecular marker specific to a particular population.