Development of a LAMP-Based Molecular Species Diagnosis Method for Four Major Agricultural Pests in the Genus <i>Spodoptera</i> (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Molecular-based species identification tools are helpful to identify tiny insect and lepidopteran pests that show morphological similarities in the larval stage and are essential for quarantine as well as agricultural research. Here, we focused on four major Spodoptera pests: S. exigua, S. frugiperda, S. litura, and S. littoralis. S. exigua and S. litura mitochondrial genome sequences were newly identified and species-specific sequence regions were identified in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit II and III regions. Species primers were designed and applied in loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and PCR to identify Korean field-collected or overseas samples. The optimal incubation conditions for LAMP were 61 °C for 60 min with four LAMP primers. Additional loop primers increased the amplification efficiency for S. exigua, and the nonspecific amplification for other species. The LAMP assay could detect a wide range of DNA concentrations, with the range 1 ng–1 pg in dependence of four LAMP primers. The DNA-releasing technique, without DNA extraction, in the LAMP assay involved larval or adult tissue sample incubation at 95 °C for 5 min. The entire process takes approximately 70 min. This new molecular diagnostic method is simple and accurate, with application in the field and laboratory and for monitoring and ecological studies