Crop protection technologies using RNA interference - a proof-of-concept

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Insects are often considered our most serious competitors for food and fiber, reducing crop yields by inflicting damage to plants, propagating plant pathogens, and causing decay in stored food, fiber, and wood products. It has been estimated that insects consume or damage between 10 and 20 % of the gross national products of most nations, despite our efforts to control the most noxious pests. Most of our control measures rely upon the use of broad-spectrum synthetic pesticides to control the pests. Unfortunately, these chemicals not only kill pests, but they also kill non-target beneficial insects, and can adversely affect other invertebrate and vertebrate species. The primary goal of this short-term research is to explore the possible use of RNA interference technology to develop species-specific crop protection methods. RNAi is a new technology that could revolutionize our approach to pest insect control, as it can selectively silence specific genes within the pests, but without affecting other species that do not share the exact gene sequences as the pests. As each species is defined by the uniqueness of its genetic code, this technology could be adapted to control many different pests in different cropping systems. In collaboration with our industrial partner, we aim to develop a new generation of pesticides that still effectively protects our crops from our most serious insect competitors, but does not harm the many beneficial, non-target species within and around our agriculture production zones. Plant protection from pests afforded by these technologies is expected to increase crop yields and reduce losses during storage, and consequently, increase profitability for Canada farmers and the agricultural industry. Canada is one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters in the world, and the development of environmentally-safer methods to controlling agricultural pests will not only place Canada among the leaders in the agricultural biotechnology sector, but will ensure that Canada's agricultural products are well accepted by all markets.