Genetic diversity of tomato fruit borer, Helicoverpa armigera Hiibner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-I (mtCO-I)

Helicoverpa armigera is a highly polyphagous pest that inflicts serious damage to wide spectrum of crops. The ability of H armigera to thrive on diverse host plants is an adaptive advantage for its better survival in the ecosystem which is achieved by its high mobility, fecundity and capacity to develop resistance to wide spectrum of chemical insecticides. In this study, we present molecular diversity and phylogenetic relationship of H. armigera inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-I (mtCO-I). A PCR product of 658 bp was amplified, cloned, sequenced and phylogenetic analysis was carried out with available sequences in NCBI-GenBank. Analyses revealed that, there were no significant variations in the CO-I sequences of H armigera collected on various hosts and geographical locations. However, the phylogenetic tree indicated the possibility of emerging host-associated genetic differences in H armigera populations.