RNAi-biofungicides: a quantum leap for tree fungal pathogen management

Abstract

Fungal diseases threaten the forest ecosystem, impacting tree health, productivity, and biodiversity. Conventional approaches to combating diseases, such as biological control or fungicides, often reach limits regarding efficacy, resistance, non-target organisms, and environmental impact, enforcing alternative approaches. From an environmental and ecological standpoint, an RNA interference (RNAi) mediated double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-based strategy can effectively manage forest fungal pathogens. The RNAi approach explicitly targets and suppresses gene expression through a conserved regulatory mechanism. Recently, it has evolved to be an effective tool in combating fungal diseases and promoting sustainable forest management approaches. RNAi bio-fungicides provide efficient and eco-friendly disease control alternatives using species-specific gene targeting, minimizing the off-target effects. With accessible data on fungal disease outbreaks, genomic resources, and effective delivery systems, RNAi-based biofungicides can be a promising tool for managing fungal pathogens in forests. However, concerns regarding the environmental fate of RNAi molecules and their potential impact on non-target organisms require an extensive investigation on a case-to-case basis. The current review critically evaluates the feasibility of RNAi bio-fungicides against forest pathogens by delving into the accessible delivery methods, environmental persistence, regulatory aspects, cost-effectiveness, community acceptance, and plausible future of RNAi-based forest protection products.

Keywords

Plant fungal pathogen; forest disease management; RNA interference; host-induced gene silencing; spray-induced gene silencing; host-pathogen interaction

Published in

Critical Reviews in Biotechnology
2024
Publisher: TAYLOR AND FRANCIS LTD

SLU Authors

• Vetukuri, Ramesh

  • Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07388551.2024.2430478

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/139880