Microbiota Profile of Melanaphis sacchari1: A Destructive Pest of Sorghum bicolor

Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) is a pest of agricultural importance because of its ability to destroy crops of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. Association with endosymbiotic bacteria affect aphid fitness and are influenced by such aspects as geography and association with the host plant. Composition of microbiota of M. sacchari was determined by extracting DNA from the gut of adult individuals (n = 60) and sequencing the 16s rRNA gene by next-generation sequencing (Ion Torrent™). The most abundant phylum was Proteobacteria (98.88%), and the dominant genera were Leclercia (25.28%), Pantoea (16.54%), Trabulsiella (9.06%), and Serratia (2.94%). These results can be use to study the importance of primary symbiotic bacteria of M. sacchari and their relationship with agricultural production.