Target-specific RNA-based bioprotectants for sustainable crop production in a changing climate

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Concerns over negative effects of pesticides on the environment and on human health cause an increasing demand for environmentally sustainable production systems and „clean food”. Accordingly, the European Parliament has adopted legislation (Directive 2009/128/EC) aiming at reducing the use of chemical plant protection products and calling for an in-depth reconsideration of crop protection solutions throughout Europe. The BioProtect project contributes to reducing the application of chemical pesticides through further development of a bacterial dsRNA production platform for the delivery of stable and efficient dsRNA formulations for cost-effective crop protection. This technology will be prepared for readiness to climate change by producing dsRNA agents that are stable and effective at different temperatures, thus under global warming conditions. dsRNA is a nature-derived and environmentally safe molecule that occurs in all organisms and is rapidly degraded in soils. Its application triggers RNA silencing, also known as RNA interference (RNAi), which is a normal cellular mechanism playing a crucial role in growth, development, genome stabilization, and defense against viruses in plants, fungi, animals, and humans. In addition, dsRNA has the potential to trigger pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and, thus, to reinforce crop protection through a second host defense pathway. Thus, when dsRNA is applied as a crop protection agent, it acts as a strong defense activator that enhances the ability of plants to defend themselves using their own cellular mechanisms. The bacterial dsRNA-production platform can be grown in fermenters and uses a dsRNA replicating system to produce high-quality (hq), >2500 bp long “hq-dsRNAs” in high amounts. hq-dsRNAs produced by this system are effective in protecting plants against infection by a model virus. Within the BioProtect project this technology will be further developed as a versatile system to produce hq-dsRNA agents and different hq-dsRNA formulations targeted against different viral and fungal pathogens as well as insect pests. The hq-dsRNAs formulations will be developed for their applicability as nature-derived bio-protectants for protection of vegetable and cereal crops under greenhouse and field test conditions. Particular emphasis will be given to formulations that provide increased hq-dsRNA stability during storage and application, efficient uptake and activity upon target crop spraying, and to the identification of determinants for upscaling and low production costs. The project will include the monitoring of activation of PTI versus RNAi, which may influence target specificity. In the light of climate change, a major focus will be on determining the efficiency of hq-dsRNA formulations at different dryness/wetness and environmental temperature conditions in order to identify hq-dsRNA formulations that will be active also under conditions of global warming.