RNAi-chitosan biopesticides for managing forest insect pests: an outlook

Abstract

The expanding world population demands superior forest protection to fulfil feasible environmental certainty. The persistent pest infestations negatively influence forest health and cause substantial economic losses. In contrast, the traditional use of conventional pesticides results in a loss of soil microbial biodiversity, a drop in the population of pollinators, and adverse effects on other non-target organisms, including humans. Global forestry is looking for solutions to reduce the adverse environmental effects of current chemical pesticides. RNAi-nanotechnology has recently drawn much attention for its use in pest management. The advantages of engineered RNAi-chitosan nano-formulations in terms of simple digestion and dissolution, non-toxicity, high adsorption power, potential biodegradation in nature, and widespread availability and cost-effectiveness, have been well documented for pest management in agroecosystems. However, deploying such control strategies in forest ecosystems is still pending and demands further research. Hence, we highlight the putative uses of RNAi-chitosan biopesticides and their preparation, characterization, and putative application methods for forest pest management. We also discussed potential environmental risks and plausible mitigation strategies.

Understanding bark beetle outbreaks: exploring the impact of changing temperature regimes, droughts, forest structure, and prospects for future forest pest management

“…The remaining antisense strand then directs the RNA-induced silencing complex to sequence-specific targeting of complementary mRNA strand, which leads to degradation of the mRNA strand and post-transcriptional gene silencing (Zhu and Palli 2020). This sequence-specific mechanism of RNAi can be harnessed to effectively target vital genes in insects, including bark beetles, offering a means of pest management (Zhu and Palli 2020;Joga et al 2016Joga et al , 2021Mogilicherla and Roy 2023b).…”

“…Effectiveness, off-target and nontarget effects, and a lack of reliable dsRNA delivery mechanisms are the main obstacles to the widespread use of RNAi for bark beetle pest management. In contrast, feeding techniques combined with advanced development technologies (symbiont-mediated and nanoparticle-enabled) are critical for improved dsRNA transport, stability, endosomal escape, and dsRNA processing (Joga et al 2021;Mogilicherla and Roy 2023b). Recently, Mogilicherla and Roy (2023b) comprehensively reviewed chitosan-dsRNA nanopesticides and their applications in managing bark beetles.…”

“…In contrast, feeding techniques combined with advanced development technologies (symbiont-mediated and nanoparticle-enabled) are critical for improved dsRNA transport, stability, endosomal escape, and dsRNA processing (Joga et al 2021;Mogilicherla and Roy 2023b). Recently, Mogilicherla and Roy (2023b) comprehensively reviewed chitosan-dsRNA nanopesticides and their applications in managing bark beetles. The bacteria and fungi that live symbiotically with bark beetles have been successfully isolated and identified and can be considered putative candidates for symbiont-mediated RNAi (SMT) for tropical application to control bark beetles (Chakraborty et al 2020a(Chakraborty et al , 2020b(Chakraborty et al , 2023Gupta et al 2023;Mogilicherla and Roy 2023b).…”

Nano-Agrochemicals as Substitutes for Pesticides: Prospects and Risks

“…This intervention led to a reduction in disease incidence and a simultaneous enhancement in fruit yield [ 17 ]. Chit-NPCs have been used in the production of RNAi-Chit-NPCs (RChit-NPCs) to effectively control forest insect pests [ 181 ]. They can be used in drug delivery systems owing to their mucoadhesive characteristics, positive surface charge, and capacity to disrupt intercellular tight junctions [ 182 ].…”

Development and application of an RNA nanostructure to induce transient RNAi in difficult transgenic plants

“…[13] NPs have also emerged as promising carriers for dsRNA, as they improve its stability and enhance RNAi efficiency. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] For example, cationic lipid NPs have been applied to deliver dsRNA and protect plants against fungal diseases, thereby increasing dsRNA stability. [21] RNA NPs, on the other hand, can be constructed using structural motifs from bottom up, and they can selfassemble into specific structures with strong stability.…”