A novel set of microsatellite markers for the European Grapevine Moth Lobesia botrana isolated using next-generation sequencing and their utility for genetic characterization of populations from Europe and the Middle East

Using a high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing approach a novel set of microsatellite markers was developed for one of the key grapevine insect pests, the European grapevine moth Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The overall FST value of 0.075 suggested a moderate but significant genetic differentiation between the L. botrana populations included in this study. In addition, a clear geographic structure was detected in the set of samples, evident through a significant isolation by distance and through results from structure analysis. In structure analysis, L. botrana populations were grouped in two clearly separated clusters according to their European (Spain, Italy, Germany) or Middle Eastern (Israel, Syria, Turkey) origin.