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Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for the identification of common cutworm species (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) infesting canola in western Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2017

Martin A. Erlandson ,
Jennifer Holowachuk ,
Edyta A. Sieminska ,
Jeremy Hummel ,
Jennifer Otani  and
Kevin D. Floate Open the ORCID record for Kevin D. Floate [Opens in a new window]
Martin A. Erlandson*
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0X2, Canada
Jennifer Holowachuk
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0X2, Canada
Edyta A. Sieminska
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 0X2, Canada Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5E2, Canada
Jeremy Hummel
Affiliation:
Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, 51250, United States of America
Jennifer Otani
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Beaverlodge Research Farm, Beaverlodge, Alberta, T0H 0C0, Canada
Kevin D. Floate
Affiliation:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta, T1J 4B1, Canada
*
1Corresponding author (e-mail: martin.erlandson@agr.gc.ca)
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Abstract

Cutworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) constitute an important insect pest complex that causes damage to a variety of crops across western Canada and particularly in canola (Brassica napus Linnaeus; Brassicaceae) crops in recent years. However, individual cutworms are very difficult to identify to species based on morphology alone, particularly at the larval stage. Problems with pest identification can lead to difficulties in recommending appropriate management strategies for specific cutworm infestations. In the current study we have developed and applied a single-step multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay, based on the rRNA ITS2 genomic sequence, which can be used to identify, to the species level, individuals of the following five key cutworm species: Agrotis orthogonia Morrison, Euxoa auxiliaris (Grote), Euxoa ochrogaster (Guenée), Feltia jaculifera (Guenée), and Lacinipolia renigera (Stephens). This molecular identification tool will be a valuable asset in agronomic and ecological studies of cutworm infestations in the canola cropping system across western Canada and potentially could be used as a timely identification tool for determining pest infestations to the species level during outbreaks.

Type
Techniques
Information
The Canadian Entomologist , Volume 149 , Issue 4 , August 2017 , pp. 540 - 548
Copyright
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada 2017 

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Footnotes

Subject editor: Amanda Roe

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