**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE EPA HAS APPROVED MAIZE PRODUCING DOUBLE STRANDED RNA (DSRNA) AS A PLANT INCORPORATED PROTECTANT (PIP) ACTIVATING INSECTICIDAL GENE SILENCING BY RNA INTERFERENCE (RNAI). TRANSPLASTOMIC DSRNA POTATO AND DSRNA BIOPESTICIDES TARGETING COLORADO POTATO BEETLE (CPB) WILL SOON ENTER THE REGULATORY REVIEW PROCESS. DESPITE THIS HIGH INTEREST IN REGULATORY APPROVAL OF RNAI CROPS AND BIOPESTICIDES, KNOWLEDGE OF THE RISK OF RESISTANCE TO THIS TECHNOLOGY AND ITS POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON CONVENTIONAL PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS IS SCARCE. THIS PROJECT INCLUDES THREE OBJECTIVES ADDRESSING THIS CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE GAP BY CAPITALIZING ON AVAILABILITY OF A STRAIN OF CPB WITH >5,000-FOLD RESISTANCE TO DSRNA, DEVELOPMENT OF DSRNA-EXPRESSING TRANSPLASTOMIC POTATO LINES AND THE COMBINED EXPERTISE OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM. OBJECTIVE 1 FOCUSES ON COMPARATIVE SELECTION OF CPB FOR RESISTANCE TO DSRNA DELIVERED AS PIP IN TRANSPLASTOMIC POTATO VERSUS TOPICAL BIOPESTICIDE IN EVALUATING RESISTANCE RISKS ASSOCIATED TO DSRNA DELIVERY METHOD AND DOSE. OBJECTIVE 2 TESTS FOR CROSS-RESISTANCE TO CONVENTIONAL PESTICIDES IN DSRNA-RESISTANT CPB AND FOR FITNESS COSTS IN RESISTANCE TO DSRNA. OBJECTIVE 3 COMBINES GENOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTOMIC APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY GENES RESPONSIBLE FOR RESISTANCE TO DSRNA PIPS IN CPB, AND ESTIMATING RESISTANCE ALLELE FREQUENCY IN FIELD CPB POPULATIONS. THE PROJECT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES 2020 BRAG PRIORITY 5I (RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE FREQUENCY AND MECHANISMS BY WHICH PESTS OVERCOME PLANT PEST RESISTANCE TRAITS CONFERRED BY ENGINEERED GENES, INCLUDING HOW THIS COMPARES TO RESISTANCE TO TRADITIONAL APPROACHES) AND PROVIDES REGULATORS WITH ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ON HOW PESTS OVERCOME DSRNA PIPS AND UNINTENDED EFFECTS ON PERFORMANCE OF DSRNA BIOPESTICIDES AND PESTICIDES.

University Of Tennessee, Memphis TN

Investigators