Research advances on the application of RNA interference inagricultural disease and pest control

RNA interference (RNAi) is a phenomenon that a series of small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), or Piwi interacting RNA (piRNA) bind to their target mRNAs triggering specific degradation or inhibition of homologous mRNA, thereby reducing or shutting down the expression of these specific genes. Given its ease of operation, high specificity and selectivity, RNAi technology is now becoming one of the new tactics and is most likely to be applied to pest and disease control in the field of agricultural life science. This paper reviews the latest progress in the application of RNAi in agricultural pest and disease control, and looks forward to the development prospects of RNAi in the field of screening of new target genes, development of high-efficiency double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) vectors, combination with traditional pesticides, and broadening of the application scope and so on. It also conducted an in-depth discussion on the challenges faced by RNAi interference efficiency, stability, cost control, resistance development, and resistance management and gave reasonable suggestions. In conclusion, the application strategies of RNAi-based pest control will continue to stimulate new vitality and provide new ideas for comprehensive plant protection control.