Methods of introducing dsrna to plant seeds for modulating gene expression

An isolated dsRNA molecule comprising an antisense RNA sequence for regulating a target gene of interest in a plant or a phytopathogen of the plant, wherein the dsRNA sequence is flanked by two complementary sites to an smRNA or smRNAs expressed in the plant and wherein the dsRNA molecule further comprises a helicase binding site positioned so as to allow unwinding of the strands of the isolated dsRNA molecule to single stranded RNA (ssRNA) and recruitment of an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase so as to amplify the dsRNA molecule in the plant cell and generate secondary siRNA products of the dsRNA sequence.