MOLECULAR AND MORPHOMETRIC VARIABILITY IN Apis cerana F. FROM DIFFERENT AGROCLIMATIC ZONES IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
Loading...
Date
2020-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
NAUNI,UHF
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present investigations titled “Molecular and morphometric variability in Apis cerana F.
from different agro-climatic zones in Himachal Pradesh” were carried out in the Apiculture
Laboratory of the Department of Entomology, Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry,
Nauni, Solan (HP) and Molecular Laboratory of the Plant Protection Division, Central Potato
Research Institute, Shimla (HP). The current study is the first documentation of molecular
characterization of Apis cerana cerana from Himachal Pradesh. Samples of A. c. cerana workers were
collected from the nine different locations representing three agro-climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh
viz., Palampur and Nurpur (Kangra), Upper Behli (Mandi), Narag (Sirmaur), Mashobra (Shimla),
Nauni (Solan), Kalsuin (Chamba), Bajaura and Seobagh (Kullu) during 2019-2020. Morphometric
analysis of A. c. cerana showed significant variations revealing no specific correlation with altitude.
The observations revealed variations in body length (10.548-12.999 mm), head length (2.803-3.060
mm), thorax length (3.242-3.972 mm), abdomen length (4.333-6.058 mm), antennal length (4.1684.388
mm), proboscis length (5.262-5.727 mm), forewing length x breadth (8.625-8.950 mm x 2.7603.145
mm), hindwing length x breadth (6.068-6.426 mm x 1.665-1.853 mm) and hamuli number
(17.55-19.60). The body colour of A. c. cerana workers varied from yellowish brown to blackish
brown. Bees collected from Mashobra, Kalsuin, Narag, Palampur, Seobagh and Bajaura were
comparatively darker than those from Nurpur, Upper Behli and Nauni. The mtCOI gene
characterization of the subspecies possessed genetic distance ranging from 0.000 to 0.009, revealing
two distinct clades; the population of A. c. cerana from Palampur (MT027920), Bajaura (MT027915)
and Seobagh (MT027917) were grouped together in clade I due to close proximity, while population
of A. c. cerana from Mashobra (MT027916), Nurpur (MT027905), Nauni (MT027919), Upper Behli
(MT027922), Kalsuin (MT027904) and Narag (MT027921) were clubbed in clade II. The average
nucleotide compositions were found to be adenine (32.74 %), thymine (40.71 %), guanine (11.49 %)
and cytosine (15.1 %). The phylogenetic results indicate that sub-species from Himachal Pradesh
shares close tie with same sub-species from neighbouring country China. Overall, the minimum
genetic distance (0.0024) was observed between A. c. cerana from Himachal Pradesh and China
(AP017983), whereas, it was maximum (0.0262) in between A. c. cerana from Himachal Pradesh and
A. c. indica from Kerala (MH331013). Such variations can be exploited for improving the strain
through selective breeding programme.