Location: Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research
Project Number: 5010-11420-001-006-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2021
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
Objective: Develop an endophyte-based delivery system for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to control Fusarium mycotoxin production and mitigate associated corn crop losses.
Approach:
We propose to develop an innovative method to deliver dsRNAs efficiently and continuously to maintain the RNAi effect in planta using an endophyte delivery system. We will utilize a corn endophyte to continuously produce and supply RNAi signals to combat Fusarium pathogens and mycotoxin contamination.
We will introduce dsRNA constructs already developed by ARS into a corn endophyte, inoculate variable corn varieties with the transgenic endophyte, and then determine the RNAi silencing efficacy targeting these critical mycotoxin biosynthesis genes of Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides.
