It's in Their Genes: Utilization of RNA for Pesticides

In December of 2023 the United States EPA authorized use of a novel pesticide for crop protection against insect pests. (EPA, 2023). Having an interest in IPM (integrated pest management) and how insects affect agriculture in general, I found myself intrigued by this. Calantha a company which produces insecticides created Ledprona, which targets Colorado Potato Beetles, which are a major challenge for potato farmers across the United States and other parts of the world. (Calantha). This sprayable pesticide works because it targets the PSMB5 protein, which prevents further development from the Colorado Potato Beetle Larvae. (Calantha). Their website explains that the insecticide is sprayed on the foliage of the potatoes, like your typical pesticide, then within 3 days of ingesting the insecticide on the leaves, larvae will stop feeding. (Calantha).

One of the concerns with insecticides currently is how they affect beneficial insects, since there has been a steady decline in pollinator populations. Their website assures us that this insecticide has little to no effect on non-target species including, "honeybees, butterflies, earthworms, ladybugs and other beneficial insects," the website states. (Calantha). Below these claims is the page with links to the scientific research backing up these claims, which I will include here: https://www.calanthaag.com/leading-the-way-pioneering-ledprona-research-published-in-peer-reviewed-academic-journals.

   

Mature Colorado Potato Beetle (Kuhar, Virginia Cooperative Extension).

This map displays the native range of the potato (green), native range of the colorado potato beetle (yellow) and the beetles range in 2002 (orange) (Geller-Grim).

After learning about the development of RNAi insecticides for Colorado Potato Beetles, I wanted to see if there are any other insecticides for different crops and pests, which utilize the same technology. Through my digging, I learned white flies and corn rootworms which are both major agricultural pests. (Nature, 2022; Shaffer, 2020). BioClay, which is another topical similar to Ledprona, is sprayed onto crops predated by white flies. It it hardy and known to be safe since it is utilized in the biomedical world as an antimicrobial. (Goldbaum, 2007). Corn rootworms are deterred by an insecticide developed by Bayer, which is different from the other two I talked about. (Shaffer, 2020). Instead of being a topical treatment, this rootworm insecticide is genetically engineered into the corn crop. (Shaffer, 2020).

BioClay being applied topically to plants (Tilley, Gardening Know How).

Mature corn rootworm (Shaffer, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).

In conversation with other people, I have heard varying opinions on insecticides, but there is a general understanding that they are necessary for successful agriculture in the United States and other parts of the world. One of the major questions with these insecticides is how they affect our health, and whether people will want to eat products treated with these. The corn produced by Bayer is undeniably a genetically modified organism (GMO) and many consumers may be nervous to purchased a genetically modified product. (Shaffer, 2020). Some countries go as far as to ban the cultivation of GMOs for food crops. (Shaffer, 2020).

Another factor these researchers are considering is the environmental impacts. (Luo, 2024). Standard insecticides are known to be unhealthy for organisms that they may not be targeting. Ideally, with RNAi insecticides, humans will not be affected, and neither will beneficial insects, such as pollinators. Pollinator populations have been on decline, and the majority of this decline is caused by neonicotinoids found in insecticides, disrupting the insect's nervous system. (Grimaldi, 2025). While more research needs to be conducted on RNAi insecticides, this is a major reason researchers are developing them: to have insecticides that target specific pest species while not causing harm to other insects. Because of insects biodiversity and ability to adapt, I wonder how long these insecticides will be effective for. Pesticide usage has to be managed because pests tend to develop resistance to chemical defenses very quickly. My hope is that these products will continue to be developed into a product that is safe for commercial use and with appropriate IPM strategies will prevent pest infestations or the decimation of pollinator populations.

Citations

Calantha. Introducing Calantha: Effective, precise, and environmentally-friendly Colorado potato beetle (CPB) control. https://www.calanthaag.com/

Effective RNAi-mediated control of the crop pest whitefly. Nat. Plants 8, 461–462 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01160-8

Goldbaum, E. (2007, October 29). Staph-Killing Properties of Clay Investigated by UB Researchers. https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2007/10/8936.html

Grimaldi, D. (2025, April 11). How Many Insects Are Killed By Pesticides Each Year? https://blog.entomologist.net/how-many-insects-are-killed-by-pesticides-each-year.html

Kuhar, T. (2024, Febuary 23). Colorado Potato Beetle. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-012/444-012.html

Luo, X. (2024, April 4). Risk assessment of RNAi-based biopesticides. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949952624000098#:~:text=RNAi-based%20biopesticides%20have%20high%20specificity%2C%20efficiency%2C%20and%20easy,of%20great%20significance%20in%20achieving%20sustainable%20agricultural%20development.

Shaffer, L. (2020, December 9). RNA-based pesticides aim to get around resistance problems. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2024033117

Tilley, N. (2021, May 29). What Is BioClay: Learn About Using BioClay Spray For Plants. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/bioclay-spray-for-plants.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, December 22). EPA Registers Novel Pesticide Technology for Potato Crops. https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-registers-novel-pesticide-technology-potato-crops

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