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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Yongqiang Li, Anqi Huang, Dr Martin EdwardsORCiD, Professor Angharad MR GatehouseORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024 Elsevier Inc.The tomato leafminer, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), one of the most economically destructive pests of tomato, causes severe yields losses of tomato production globally. Rapid evolution of insecticide resistance requires the development of alternative control strategy for this pest. RNA interference (RNAi) represents a promising, innovative control strategy against key agricultural insect pests, which has recently been licensed for Colorado Potato Beetle control. Here two essential genes, voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav) and NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) were evaluated as targets for RNAi using an ex vivo tomato leaf delivery system. Developmental stage-dependent expression profiles showed TaNav was most abundant in adult stages, whereas TaCPR was highly expressed in larval and adult stages. T. absoluta larvae feeding on tomato leaflets treated with dsRNA targeting TaNav and TaCPR showed significant knockdown of gene expression, leading to reduction in adult emergence. Additionally, tomato leaves treated with dsRNA targeting these two genes were significantly less damaged by larval feeding and mining. Furthermore, bioassay with LC30 doses of λ-cyholthin showed that silencing TaNav and TaCPR increased T. absoluta mortality about 32.2 and 17.4%, respectively, thus indicating that RNAi targeting TaNav and TaCPR could increase the susceptibility to λ-cyholthin in T. absoluta. This study demonstrates the potential of using RNAi targeting key genes, like TaNav and TaCPR, as an alternative technology for the control of this most destructive tomato pests in the future.
Author(s): Li Y-Q, Huang A, Li X-J, Edwards MG, Gatehouse AMRG
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology
Year: 2024
Volume: 204
Print publication date: 01/09/2024
Online publication date: 20/08/2024
Acceptance date: 16/08/2024
Date deposited: 30/08/2024
ISSN (print): 0048-3575
ISSN (electronic): 1095-9939
Publisher: Academic Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2024.106089
DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2024.106089
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/gfqe-kg33
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