<em>Melanaphis</em> <em>sorghi</em> (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Clonal Diversity in the United States and Brazil

<i>Melanaphis sorghi</i> (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are an economically important pest to sorghum in the Americas. Previous studies have found that a super-clone that belongs to multilocus lineage (MLL)-F predominated in the U.S. from 2013 to 2018 and uses multiple hosts besides sorghum. In...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Karen Harris-Shultz, John Scott Armstrong, Geraldo Carvalho, Jurandir Pereira Segundo, Xinzhi Ni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Insects
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/13/5/416
Description
Summary:<i>Melanaphis sorghi</i> (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are an economically important pest to sorghum in the Americas. Previous studies have found that a super-clone that belongs to multilocus lineage (MLL)-F predominated in the U.S. from 2013 to 2018 and uses multiple hosts besides sorghum. In contrast, previous studies found that aphids in South America belong to MLL-C, but these studies only examined aphids collected from sugarcane. In this study we sought to determine if the superclone persisted in the U.S. in 2019–2020 and to determine the MLL of aphids found on sorghum in the largest country in South America, Brazil. <i>Melanaphis</i> spp. samples (121) were collected from the U.S. in 2019–2020 and Brazil in 2020 and were genotyped with 8–9 <i>Melanaphis</i> spp. microsatellite markers. Genotyping results showed that all samples from the U.S. in 2019 and Brazil in 2020 had alleles identical to the predominant superclone. Of the 52 samples collected in the U.S. in 2020, 50 samples were identical to the predominant super-clone (multilocus lineage-F; <i>M. sorghi</i>), while two samples from Texas differed from the super-clone by a single allele. The results demonstrated that the super-clone remains in the U.S. on sorghum, Johnsongrass, and giant miscanthus and is also present on sorghum within Brazil.
ISSN:2075-4450