Molecular Characterization of Tospovirus Transmitting Thrips Populations from India

The presence of Tospovirus in thrips vector, Scirtothrips dorsalis has been detected for the first time in India using RT- PCR analysis. Similarly RT-PCR analysis with GBNV infected tomato leaves also resulted in the amplification of cDNA corresponding to the N gene (approximately 830 bp) of Coimbatore isolate. Dendrogram constructed on the basis of RAPD similarity matrix revealed that S. dorsalis population from tomato, groundnut and chillies had atleast 75% similarity while; only 50 % similarity existed between the Frankliniella schultzei populations from cowpea and sunnhemp. Thrips tabaci from cotton was distantly related with S. dorsalis and Frankliniella schultzei with lowest similarity indices (less than 0.464). This was also confirmed by the ISSR analysis with the same six thrips populations. It is evident from the present study that RAPD markers were more informative than ISSR in differentiating host-associated populations of thrips.