author(s)
Arvind Kumar, RS Rana, KC Sharma, VGS Chandel, Mandeep Kaur and Swati Sharma

abstract
The present investigation was conducted to study the genetic diversity among different populations of P. xylostella populations collected from eight locations in North India [Solan, Palampur and Theog (Himachal Pradesh), Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab), Saharnapur (Uttar Pradesh), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), Hisar (Haryana) and Delhi] by using randomly amplified polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (RAPD). We used 20 primers, of which 12 primers resulted in amplified products. A total of 73.03% polymorphism was observed among the eight populations of P. xylostella studied. Cent percent polymorphism was observed with OPA-16 and OPAB-10 primers whereas, minimum polymorphism (40%) was observed with OPD-14 primer, which produced only 5 amplified bands. The values of similarity coefficient among all the populations ranged from 0.50 to 0.70. Maximum similarity was observed between Solan and Theog populations (70%), and between Delhi and Pantnagar populations of P. xylostella, which is according to the geographical distances between these locations, and the altitude of the locations from where the populations were collected. This information will be useful to develop strategies for controlling this pest through synthetic insecticides, deployment of transgenic plants for sustainable crop production.