Year: 2026 | Month: July | Volume: 13 | Issue: 7 | Pages: 58-66
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20260707
Identification of Insect Larvae Associated with Pachouli (Pogostemon cablin) Leaves Using DNA Barcoding
Reskiya Nengsih1, Beivy Jonathan Kolondam1, Parluhutan Siahaan1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, Indonesia.
Corresponding Author: Beivy Jonathan Kolondam
ABSTRACT
Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) is an essential oil-producing plant with high economic value widely used in the perfume, cosmetic, and aromatherapy industries. The presence of insect larvae on patchouli plants may cause leaf tissue damage that affects vegetative growth and essential oil production. Morphological identification of insect larvae is often difficult because larval body structures are relatively uniform and possess limited diagnostic characters. This study aimed to identify insect larvae associated with patchouli leaves using a DNA barcoding approach based on the Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The research was conducted in Inomunga Village, Kaidipang District, North Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi Province, from January to February 2026. Methods included larval sampling, DNA extraction, PCR amplification using universal primers, gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing, BLAST analysis, Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA), sequence similarity analysis, genetic distance analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction using the Maximum Likelihood method. The results showed that COI gene amplification successfully produced DNA fragments of approximately 709 bp in all samples. BLAST analysis identified the specimens as Chrysodeixis eriosoma, Spodoptera litura, Herpetogramma stultalis, and Microgastrinae sp. with 100% query cover and more than 95% percent identity values. Phylogenetic analysis showed that each sample formed a distinct clade according to its species identity, while Drosophila melanogaster was used as the outgroup. This study demonstrates that COI-based DNA barcoding is effective for identifying insect larvae associated with patchouli plants and can support biodiversity studies and ecologically based pest management.
Keywords: DNA barcoding, COI gene, insect larvae, Pogostemon cablin, phylogenetics.
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