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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #327203
Research Project: IPM Methods for Insect Pests of Orchard Crops

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Title: Does dsRNA ingestion cause behavioral changes in host selection by psyllids?

Author
item STENN, HAVA - Former ARS Employee
item Hunter, Wayne
item ANDRADE, EDUARDO - Embrapa-Labex

Submitted to: Florida Scientist
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/25/2016
Publication Date: 3/18/2016
Citation: Stenn, H.T., Hunter, W.B., Andrade, E.C. 2016. Does dsRNA ingestion cause behavioral changes in host selection by psyllids? 80th Annual Meeting of the Florida Academy of Sciences.Florida Scientist. 79(1):45.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Ribonucleic acid interference, RNAi, uses a double-stranded RNA, dsRNA, trigger to suppress protein formation in a sequence specific manner. Thus RNAi can reduce the fitness of a single insect pest, while leaving beneficial insects unharmed. RNAi-based products are being developed for highly specific pest control of the Asian citrus Psyllid: Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and other insect pests. One question which arose was does the presence of an exogenous double-stranded RNA in treated plants influence insect host selection. Two dsRNA constructs were absorbed into citrus cuttings and the settling behavior of adult Asian citrus psyllids were evaluated over a 15 day period. Experiments were replicated 4 times. Comparison of a control dsRNA (GFP), versus a psyllid specific dsRNA resulted in a significant difference, with more adult psyllids settled on the psyllid specific dsRNA treated plants than on untreated controls, or the negative dsRNA control plants (p>0.05). Psyllids did not appear sensitive to dsRNA ingestion, which has a different mode of action, as they might be for traditional chemical insecticides. The lack of repellency suggests that RNAi-based products (at least those tested) may actually be more effective as biopesticides as they increase psyllid feeding from treated trees.