Molecular diagnosis of Cuscuta approximata BAb. found in Van province

Cuscuta approximata Bab. (alfalfa dodder) is abundant in Turkey and causes serious economic losses, especially in alfalfa production areas. In this study, molecular identification of a total of 19 population samples of C. approximata collected from 7 different regions in Van province was performed. In the study, universal ITS4 and ITS5 primers were used to amplify ITS regions from genomic DNAs isolated from samples. With the help of these primers, the ITS1, 5,8S and ITS2 regions in the rDNA were amplified by PCR. Genome information of the C. approximata species, whose DNA was sequenced, was analyzed using different programs (Geneious Software, CLC Main Workbench). With these results, the presence of C. approximata in Van province was determined. As a result of bioinformatic analysis, it was determined that the samples collected from Van province had more than 97% similarity within themselves and with other isolates in the gene bank. When the phylogenetic relationships of our samples were evaluated, it was seen that they were closely related to each other. The DNA sequences obtained from C. approximata samples were registered in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Bank and made available to all researchers around the world. In this study, it was determined that the length of the nrDNA ITS region varied between 682 and 716 bp base pairs. It has been determined that there is genetic differentiation between the areas where samples were collected in the populations. In conclusion, molecular identification of the species C. approximata collected from different areas in Van province will contribute to the development of some control methods to reduce its impact on agricultural areas.