Papers by Bhagawati Sharma
Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 2019
Significant morphological similarities within or in between species of insects has made reliable ... more Significant morphological similarities within or in between species of insects has made reliable taxonomic identification difficult. DNA barcoding has appeared to be a useful tool in resolving the issues related to the identification of taxonomically difficult insect species. The North eastern region of India is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots in the world and the climatic conditions of the region are highly conducive for reproduction and multiplication of insects. The efforts were undertaken to study the biodiversity of insects and to develop molecular database by developing DNA barcodes of natural enemies of cole crops insect pests in mid hills of Meghalaya. Limited information is available on natural enemies in cole crops ecosystem in mid-hills of Meghalaya. A total of 17 natural enemies belonging to three insect orders viz., Coleoptera (4) Predator, Hymenoptera (5) (1 nymphal/pupal; 3 Larval parasitoid; 1 Pupal parasitoid), Diptera (8) (5 Predator, 3 pupal parasitoid) Hemiptera (2) were documented during the year 2014-2015. Natural enemies especially Predators of aphids viz., Coccinellid beetles, Syrphid flies were recorded, Parasitoids observed were; nymphal/adult Parasitoid of aphids, Diaeretiella rapae, larval parasitoid of cabbage butterfly, Hyposoter sp and Cotesia glomerata and Pupal parasitoid including Brachymeria femorata and Tachinidae sp. The collected species were identified by established taxonomic keys, by taxonomists and/or molecular basis. DNA was successfully extracted from multiple specimens of 17 insect species and molecular assays were also undertaken for presence of Wolbachia infection. The Wolbachia infected specimens were discarded and not used for further analysis. The DNA barcodes were successfully developed for 17 species by sequencing partial Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene of mitochondrial DNA. The molecular identity of the insect species was established through BLAST-n at NCBI. The total nucleotide length of barcodes varied from species to species (501bp to 682bp). All the analysed sequences were submitted to National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Accession numbers were obtained (KT175578 to KT 175606). The comprehensive taxonomical and molecular database developed in this study for a total of 17 species observed in cole crop ecosystem could be used as diagnostic guide at both morphological and molecular level.
Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 2017
Abstract The Northeastern region of India, one of the mega biodiversity hot spots has enormous po... more Abstract The Northeastern region of India, one of the mega biodiversity hot spots has enormous potential for the production of fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies of the genus Bactrocera Macquart are important pests of fruits and vegetables, and one of the limiting factors in successful production of these commodities. The relationship among some of the species is unclear due to their high molecular and morphological similarities. Moreover, due to the significant morphological resemblance between fruit fly species, reliable identification is very difficult task. We genetically characterized 10 fruit fly species of the genus Bactrocera by using standard DNA barcoding region of COI gene. The characterization and identification of eight species were straight forward. This study was unable to establish the molecular identity of Bactrocera sp. 2. Within the 547 bp region of partial COI gene, there were 157 variable sites of which 110 sites were parsimony informative, 153 were synonymous substitutions and 4 were non-synonymous substitutions. The estimate of genetic divergence among the ten species was in the range of 0–21.9% and the pairwise genetic distance of Bactrocera. (Bactrocera) dorsalis (Hendel) with B. (B.) carambolae was only 0.7%. Phylogenetic analysis formed separate clades for fruit and vegetable infesting fruit flies. B. (B.) aethriobasis Hardy, B. (B.) thailandica and B. (B.) tuberculata (Bezzi) have been reported for the first time from the Northeastern India. The information generated from this study would certainly have implications for pest management, taxonomy, quarantine and trade.
Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, 2018
The vegetable leaf miner, Liriomyza sativae (Diptera:Agromyzidae), is an invasive polyphagous spe... more The vegetable leaf miner, Liriomyza sativae (Diptera:Agromyzidae), is an invasive polyphagous species originally known to be found in America and now spread in many parts of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region. During 2016, L. sativae was observed for the first time infesting tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) leaves in experimental farms of an institute at Umiam (Meghalaya state of northeastern India). Based on museum specimens, this species was reported from India on tomato during 1994. Nevertheless, no further information is hitherto available from India apart from just new record. Considering the pest status of L. sativae across the globe, it is crucial to understand its expansion range, severity, biological attributes, and seasonal incidence on tomato in India. Taxonomic Q3 identification of different species of Liriomyza leaf miners is very complex due to morphological resemblance, and consequently, species-level identification is often done incorrectly by mistaking one species for another. Therefore, we characterized L. sativae at the molecular level and developed species specific DNA barcodes by using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene. Moreover, the information on the correct distribution, seasonal incidence, and basic biological attributes of different stages of L. sativae is reported and discussed.
International Journal of Chemical Studies, 2019
The North eastern region of India is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots in the World. The clim... more The North eastern region of India is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots in the World. The climatic conditions of the region are highly conducive for reproduction and multiplication of insects. The efforts were undertaken to study the biodiversity of natural enemies of major insect pests of cole crops in mid hills of Meghalaya. Limited information is available on natural enemies in cole crops ecosystem in mid –hills of Meghalaya. A total of 17 natural enemies belonging to three insect orders viz., Coleoptera (4 Predators), Hymenoptera (5) (1 nymphal/pupal; 3 Larval papasitoid; 1 Pupal parasitoid) and Diptera (8) (5 Predator, 3 pupal parasitoid) were documented during the year 2014-2015. Natural enemies especially Predators of aphids Viz., Coccinellid beetles, Syrphid flies were recorded, Parasitoids observed were; nymphal/adult Parasitoid of aphids, Diaeretiella rapae, larval parasitoid of cabbage butterfly, Hyposoter sp and Cotesia glomerata and Pupal parasitoid including Brachym...
Entomologia Generalis, 2017
The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechidae), although ma... more The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechidae), although made its first entry in continental India in 2014, has not been reported occurring in northeastern areas of the country. For the first time, we recorded T. absoluta infestation in tomato plants in the Meghalaya state of India. The identification was confirmed by standard morphological characters and DNA barcoding by amplifying cytochrome oxidase gene (CO-I) of mitochondrial DNA. During the survey, mild to severe infestation of T. absoluta has been observed on tomato plants in our experimental farms located at Umiam and neighboring villages in the Meghalaya state. The seasonal incidence of T. absoluta was studied on tomato plants in this newly invaded area. Information on fortuitous bio-control agents of T. absoluta is provided. Moreover, this study provides new knowledge useful for alerting countries that share international borders with northeastern India.
The North eastern region of India is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots in the World. The clim... more The North eastern region of India is one of the mega biodiversity hotspots in the World. The climatic conditions of the region are highly conducive for reproduction and multiplication of insects. The efforts were undertaken to study the biodiversity of major insect pests of cole crops in mid hills of Meghalaya. Limited information is available on insect pests in cole crops ecosystem in mid –hills of Meghalaya. A total of 12 insect pests belonging to four insect orders viz., Lepidoptera (6), Coleoptera (2), Diptera (2), Hemiptera (2) were documented during the year 2014-2015. The large white cabbage butterfly (P. brassicae) green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) and tobacco caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) were found to be the most serious pest of cole crops in this region. Besides, diamondback moth (Plutella xylostella) was also found to be the one of the major pest of late planted cole crops. Striped flea beetle (Phyllotreta striolata), leaf beetle (Monolepta quadriguttata), cabbage loo...
International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences
Cole crops, the most abundantly consumed vegetables in the world belonging to the family Brassica... more Cole crops, the most abundantly consumed vegetables in the world belonging to the family Brassicaceae comprises about 380 genera and over 3000 species of cultivated and wild plants that have almost similar insect pest complex (Heywood, 1993). Throughout
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Papers by Bhagawati Sharma