Journal of Pest Science (2022) 95, 1413-1428

Ilaria Di Lelio, Eleonora Barra, Mariangela Coppola, Giandomenico Corrado, Rosa Rao and Silvia Caccia (2022)
Transgenic plants expressing immunosuppressive dsRNA improve entomopathogen efficacy against Spodoptera littoralis larvae
Journal of Pest Science 95 (3), 1413-1428
Abstract: Transgenic plants that express double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting vital insect genes have recently emerged as a valuable new tool for pest control. In this study, tobacco plants were transformed to produce dsRNA targeting Sl 102 gene that is involved in the immune response of Spodoptera littoralis larvae, a serious lepidopteran pest of several crops. Experimental larvae reared on transgenic tobacco lines showed (1) a strongly reduced level of Sl 102 transcripts, which was positively associated with food consumption; (2) a substantial impairment of the encapsulation response mediated by hemocytes; and (3) a marked increase in the susceptibility to Xentari™, a Bacillus thuringiensis-based insecticide. Importantly, this approach may allow a reduction in the doses of B. thuringiensis used for field applications and enhance its killing activity on mature larvae. The results obtained thus support the use of immunosuppressive RNAi plants to enhance the performance of microbial insecticides on lepidopteran larvae.
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Database assignments for author(s): Rosa Rao

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
application technology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Spodoptera littoralis		Italy