Functional characterization of developmentally critical genes in the white‐backed planthopper: Efficacy of nanoparticle‐based dsRNA sprays for pest control

BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), zinc finger homeodomain‐2 (zfh‐2), Abdominal‐A (Abd‐A), and Abdominal‐B (Abd‐B) regulate the growth and development of the insect abdomen. However, their potential roles in pest control have not been fully assessed. The development of insecticide resistance to multiple chemistries in the white‐backed planthopper (WBPH), a major pest of rice, has prompted interest in novel pest control approaches that are ecologically friendly. Although pest management approaches based on double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA)‐mediated RNA interference (RNAi) have potential, their susceptibility to degradation limits large‐scale field applications. These limitations, however, can be overcome with nanoparticle–dsRNA complexes that have greater environmental stability and improved cellular uptake. RESULTS In this study, at 5 days post‐injection, transcripts for the four gene targets were reduced relative to controls and all of the experimental groups exhibited significant phenotypic defects and increased mortality. To evaluate the potential of these gene targets for field applications, a nanocarrier–dsRNA spray delivery system was assessed for RNAi efficacy. At 11 days post‐spray, significant phenotypic defects and increased mortality were observed in all experimental groups. CONCLUSION Taken together, the results confirm the suitability of the target genes (SfEGFR, Sfzfh‐2, SfAbd‐A, and SfAbd‐B) for pest management and demonstrate the efficacy of the nanocarrier spray system for inducing RNAi‐mediated knockdown. As such, the study lays the foundation for the further development and optimization of this technology for large‐scale field applications. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. A large‐scale dsRNA production protocol was constructed by an Escherichia coli expression system. A nanocarrier–dsRNA spray delivery system was also built and successfully led to high mortality by targeting four developmental genes (SfEGFR, Sfzfh‐2, SfAbd‐A, and SfAbd‐B).