By Blake Jackson
A researcher from the University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is leading a new effort to improve pest control methods that are both effective and environmentally targeted.
S. Reddy Palli, a professor in the Department of Entomology, has been awarded $749,888 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to advance RNA interference (RNAi) technology for managing lepidopteran pests, including the fall armyworm.
“RNAi is a process that can knock down key genes in a pest, shutting down functions the insect needs to survive,” Palli said. “Researchers and companies have spent years studying it as a pest-control tool. This method has shown promise in some insects, especially beetles, but has not worked nearly as well in other insects like lepidopteran pests, the group that includes moths and butterflies.”
This limitation is significant, as these pests cause major agricultural damage. “RNAi does not work very well in major agricultural pests,” Palli said, adding that his lab has spent nearly a decade working to improve its effectiveness.
“Previous work from my lab led to nanoformulations that showed some progress, but the new grant is meant to push the method farther, to the point of commercial use.”
The project will focus on fall armyworm, a highly destructive pest known for feeding on a wide range of crops, rapid reproduction, and resistance to control methods.
Palli’s team has already achieved 50%-65% mortality in larvae using advanced RNA formulations and aims to increase that to full effectiveness.
“The stakes stretch well beyond Kentucky,” Palli said. “Fall armyworm is native to the Americas, but they have spread across Africa and Asia, where they have become a serious concern for crop production. The insect has especially been tied to food security problems in places that rely heavily on corn.”
The research also emphasizes precision, aiming to protect beneficial insects. “In beetles, the method already has a path to the field. In lepidopteran pests, that path has been much harder to build,” Palli said.
Photo Credit: pexels-nikolett-emmert
Categories: Kentucky, Crops, Education