Determination of genetic variation in populations of Bemisia tabaci in Antalya

Although a number of investigations on the molecular genetics of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) have appeared in the literature, no such studies are known from Turkey. In order to fill this gap the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to assay eight populations of B. tabaci collected from cotton. protected vegetables (tomato, cucumber and eggplant) and peppermint in various locations in the province of Antalya, Turkey. Eleven AFLP primer pairs detected a total of 547 AFLP fragments in these populations and 389 of these showed polymorphism. Cluster analyses of AFLP data clearly separated these populations into two groups with a genetic variability between 42% and 81%. The results indicated that B. tabaci may have biotypes based on adaptation to certain host plant species in Turkey.