Innovative Pest Management

Development of environment-friendly pest control strategies aiming to replace chemical insecticides has been an interest to our lab.  We use biomolecular or microbial tools targeting the operation of insect physiological systems.

RNA interference (RNAi): One new concept in pest control is based on the concept “RNA interference”, commonly known as RNAi. RNAi is indeed a gene silencing method and aims to understand the roles of specific genes. The concept is based on use of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules that lead to gene silencing. The important difference that distinguishes RNAi in insects from RNAi studies in medicine or other fields is that the result of silencing the target gene is not only functional but also potentially lethal and therefore has potential as a plant protection strategy.The consequences of silencing genes with important roles in insect physiology can be negative or even lethal for the insect. The gene-specificity of RNAi also provides an important environmental and safety advantage. Our lab has been testing the response of many target genes againsts dsRNA, which leads to 100% mortality in the coleopteran and lepidopteran systems. We currently work on the development of this technology as stable dsRNA-sprays in the field and are in the process of a patent application.

Venoms: Venoms are peptides produced from the venom glands of various organisms such as centipedes, scorpions and spiders, which are in contact with insects, taking into account their insecticidal effect. Venoms have functions such as defense and paralyzing the enemy. Producing these peptides under artificial conditions and applying them to insects, disrupting their physiology and interrupting the relevant biochemical reactions and ultimately causing death, paved the way for the introduction of “Peptide-based insecticides” into plant protection terminology. The venom peptides are indeed neurotoxins and mainly target the nervous and muscular systems of the tartget pests and are mostly not orally active on their own, but can be transported into the target system together with various other carrier molecules. The most prominent neurotoxins have been isolated from spiders and it is estimated that there are about 10 million bioactive spider venoms, of which about 0.5-1.5 million have an effect on insects. Our lab work on the development of various venom peptides, their chemical and recombinant production and insecticidal efficacy on different pests.

Microbials: One other pest control approach is based on use of entomopathogenic organisms and/or their secretions, toxins and metabolites produced in their infection process of the host. We mainly focus on Bacillus thuringiensis,  baculoviruses and entomopathogenic fungi. We aim to develop novel formulation technologies  with improved insecticidal efficacy and stability in the field.