Application of Nanoparticle-Mediated RNAi for Efficient Gene Silencing and Pest Control on Soybean Aphids.

The application of the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism promotes the development of novel approaches toward sustainable crop protection. Compared with traditional double-stranded (ds)RNA delivery systems, nanoparticles offer great advantages in delivering dsRNA to improve RNAi efficiency, thus promoting the development and practice of RNAi-based pest management strategies. Here, we described a transdermal dsRNA delivery system with a nanosized star polycation, and presented a method to improve RNAi efficiency to increase the control effect against aphids. Insect gene functional analysis and pest management can be achieved by this method.