DNA Barcoding of Spodoptera frugiperda Confirms Transboundary Movement

Abstract

Spodoptera frugiperda Smith and Abbot, 1797 (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera) is a damaging agricultural pest especially for Zea mays L., and it has invaded Asian countries a few years back. The current investigation confirmed the occurrence of fall armyworm (FAW) in Lahore, Pakistan and discusses its phylogenetic relationship to S. litura and S. exigua. The cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit I (COI), a universal barcoding region of FAW with 650 bp, was amplified using molecular techniques. BLAST analysis of the COI sequence against the NCBI database confirmed a close relationship between the FAW populations from Lahore (Punjab), Pakistan, and sequences reported from other Asian countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Japan and Korea) as well as African countries (Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana), supporting the transboundary movement of this pest into Pakistan. Multiple sequence alignment showed similarities and differences between the barcodes of the three pest species. The study relied on a limited sample size from Lahore region of Punjab, which may not fully represent the genetic diversity of S. frugiperda across Pakistan. The study emphasized the utility of the COI barcoding region for the identification and traces transboundary movement of FAW. These findings provided critical baseline data for the detection and monitoring of invasive S. frugiperda populations in Pakistan. Moreover, molecular comparisons distinguish FAW from native Spodoptera species, which is vital for developing targeted control strategies.

Keywords:

Agricultural pest, DNA barcoding, fall armyworm, Punjab, transboundary movement.