Exploration of aspects of Spodoptera frugiperda biology, population genetics, the application of gene editing tools to manage resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins in agricultural systems

The dataset includes raw microsatellite allele scoring data and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequences, which were used for population genetic analyses of Spodoptera frugiperda sampled from the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces in South Africa.Microsatellite genotyping dataThis dataset contains the raw GeneScan scoring results for five microsatellite markers used in this study.The markers were amplified via PCR and scored using GeneScan software to assess allele sizes across multiple S. frugiperda individuals.The allele scores are provided as an Excel file with columns detailing individual sample identifiers, marker names, and corresponding allele sizes.These data were used to assess genetic diversity, population structure, and gene flow among S. frugiperda populations.2. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequencesThe dataset includes COI gene sequences provided in FASTA format.These sequences were used for species identification and further population genetic analyses, including haplotype diversity and phylogenetic assessments.Each FASTA entry contains a unique sample identifier, followed by the nucleotide sequence obtained via Sanger sequencing.The sequences were aligned and analysed to investigate genetic variation within and among S. frugiperda populations.These data serve as the foundational raw material for the analyses conducted in this study and can be used for further validation, replication, or comparative studies on S. frugiperda population genetics.