author(s)
Mahalingappa Bandakkanavar, Ramappa HK, Nagaraju N, Prameela HA, Byregowda M and Sanjay MT

abstract
The present study, were carried out at GKVK, Bengaluru on diversity of culturable bacterial endosymbionts associated with Hishimonus phycitis. The leafhoppers (H. phycitis) were collected from sesamum crop at ZARS filed unit. The isolated seven endosymbiotic bacteria (Designated as EBHP-1 to 7). The study revealed that, all endosymbionts showed negative reaction to Indole and Voges-Proskauer test (EBHP-1 to 7). In citrate test, six endosymbionts showed positive reaction (EBHP-1, EBHP-2, EBHP-3, EBHP-4, EBHP-6 and EBHP-7) and EBHP-5, showed negative reaction. Further, in the methyl red test EBHP-2, EBHP-5, EBHP-6 and EBHP-7 showed positive and remaining three showed negative (EBHP-1, EBHP-3 and EBHP-4). Isolated DNA from the seven isolates of endosymbionts from their pure culture and subjected to PCR for amplification of gene encoding 16S rRNA using Fp1/Rp2 primers. DNA isolated from all samples yield the expected amplicon of 1.4 kb PCR product, which were sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and nucleotide identity indicated that EBHP-1, EBHP-3, EBHP-6 and EBHP-7 were closely clustered with Pseudomonas sp. and shared sequence similarity of 83-93(%). Similarly, EBHP 4 and EBHP 2 clustered with Exiguobacterium sp. and shared 64-93(%) sequence identity and EBHP-5 with Achromobacter sp. and 89-91(%) sequence similarity. These results suggest that, diverse endosymbiotic bacteria associated with the Hishimonus phycitis, which may have possible role in the transmission of sesamum phyllody.