By Blake Jackson
A University of Kentucky forest entomologist is advancing a pest-control approach that could provide landowners, municipalities and forest managers with a highly targeted alternative to traditional insecticides.
The technology uses gene silencing to target invasive beetles while reducing the risk to beneficial insects and other wildlife, according to Jordan Strickler, Agriculture Communications Specialist at the University of Kentucky.
Lynne Rieske-Kinney, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Kentucky’s Department of Entomology, has spent about a decade studying RNA interference (RNAi) as a potential management tool for two destructive forest pests: the emerald ash borer and southern pine beetle. Her current research is supported by a cooperative agreement that began in 2024 and continues through 2027.
“We can definitely kill insects in the lab, in a petri dish,” Rieske-Kinney said. “The challenge is scaling it up to a usable technology, and that’s what we’re focusing on now.”
RNAi works by using a specially designed double-stranded RNA molecule that corresponds to a specific section of an insect’s gene. After the insect consumes the molecule, its cells respond by shutting down production of the related protein.
If the targeted protein is essential for survival, the insect can die. Because the RNA sequence is designed for a particular species, researchers expect the approach to have limited effects on non-target organisms.
Rieske-Kinney’s laboratory has completed studies examining potential impacts on non-target species for RNAi treatments targeting both pests. Researchers also found that the treatments can work alongside biological control agents already used against emerald ash borer.
For emerald ash borer, researchers are testing treatments that can protect individual ash trees. Their studies have shown that RNA applied through leaves, bark, or roots can move through an ash tree and remain active for at least 30 days. The team is now investigating whether protection can last an entire growing season or several years.
“Ideally, what we would like is a single application to provide season-long protection against emerald ash borer,” Rieske-Kinney said.
“But what if we could provide three years of protection? That would be comparable to what current chemical insecticides are providing for ash protection.”
For southern pine beetle, the research takes a broader approach. Scientists are exploring engineered fungal partners that live with the beetles and could produce the RNA, potentially spreading the gene-silencing effect across larger forest areas.
“With emerald ash borer, we’re looking at how we can protect an individual tree, while with southern pine beetle, we’re thinking on the scale of an entire forest,” Rieske-Kinney said.
“They’re very different challenges, but the goal is the same: using this gene-silencing technology in a very targeted way to protect trees from destructive insects.”
Photo Credit: university-of-kentucky
Categories: Kentucky, Education