Biodiversity and molecular characterization of insects of potato ecosystem in mid hills of Meghalaya

Limited research has been conducted on the DNA barcodes of insects that feed on the potato crop in the mid-hills of Meghalaya. DNA was successfully extracted from diverse insect species associated with potato crop, followed by molecular tests to identify Wolbachia infection. Samples infected with Wolbachia were excluded from further analysis. The partial Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced, generating successful DNA barcodes ranging in length from 501 bp to 682 bp across different species. Molecular identity was determined using BLAST-n at NCBI. The finalized sequences were submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in Bethesda for accession numbers. The comprehensive taxonomic and molecular database established in this study, encompassing 26 species within the potato crop, can serve as a diagnostic tool, offering insights at both morphological and molecular levels.