ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Sustainable and Intelligent Phytoprotection
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1628692
This article is part of the Research TopicCutting-Edge Technologies Applications in Intelligent Phytoprotection: From Precision Weed and Pest Detection to Variable Fertilization TechnologiesView all 8 articles
Molecular detection tool for prompt, reliable and precise diagnosis of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (Linnaeus) infestation in wheat
Provisionally accepted
- 1CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Hisar, India
- 2Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India
- 3Haryana, Hisar, India
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae L.) is one of the most destructive pests of stored cereal grains, particularly wheat, leading to considerable post-harvest losses and posing serious threats to global food security and international trade. Rapid and accurate identification of infestations is essential for implementing timely pest management strategies and adhering to phytosanitary regulations. In this study, we report the development and validation of a molecular diagnostic assay that is rapid, sensitive, and highly specific for the early detection of S. oryzae in stored wheat grains.Two novel species-specific oligonucleotide primer sets-KNSoCox1F1/KNSoCox1R1 and KNSoCox2F1/KNSoCox2R1-were designed to amplify target regions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunits I and II (COI and COII), generating diagnostic fragments of 176 bp and 248 bp, respectively.Conventional PCR demonstrated high specificity, with no cross-reactivity observed in other non-target insects or uninfested wheat samples. Further, sensitivity assessments using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) revealed detection thresholds as low as 1 picogram of genomic DNA, which corresponds to a single insect per 10 kg of grains.The assay easily operates in moderately equipped molecular laboratories and offers quick results with streamlined workflows or automation , making it ideally suited for use in quarantine stations, grain storage facilities, and entomological diagnostic laboratories. Its reliability, speed, and cost-efficiency make it a powerful tool for pest surveillance, ecological studies, and enhancing biosecurity protocols.
Keywords: Cereals, Post-harvest losses, Stored grain pests, Pest detection, molecular diagnostics Mankin, R., Hagstrum, D.
Received: 14 May 2025; Accepted: 23 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 NAGPAL, Jasrotia, Jaglan, Kashyap, Maanju and Kumar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Poonam Jasrotia, Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.