A vaccine for edible plants? A new plant protection method on the horizon

Pests and plant diseases can cause crop losses and can be a threat to global food security. The disease is now fought with a pesticide, that is sprayed all over plants and could also cause harm to your health. Dr. Minna Poranen found a new approach to plant protection, which involves plants fighting against pathogens with double stranded RNA molecules. This can be sprayed directly onto the leaves without harmful consequences. This vaccine triggers an innate defense mechanism of plants known as a RNA inference. This is beneficial because you can choose which pathogens you want to target by using RNA molecules, which share sequence, identify with the pest's genes, which prevents their expression. This allows us to target the plant disease or pest and keeps the expression of genes in the plant protected.  The Academy of Finland’s Synthetic Biology Research Programme demonstrated the efficacy of RNA based vaccines, using it against plant virus infections.  There is no release date as to when this vaccine will be made available because there is no relevant legislation yet.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180405100141.htm

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2018040601170074.html

Refining pesticides to kill pests, not bees

On Science Daily, researchers from Michigan State University's entomology department are trying to increase the effectiveness of pesticides on pests without impact the beneficial bugs. It is mentioned they found the key by molecular tweaking of the pyrethroids. Generally pyrethroids target the voltage-gated sodium channel, which is a protein found in nerve and muscle cells used for electric signaling in pests and bugs. Pyrethroids work by binding to the voltage gate preventing it from closing causing over-stimulation, which leads to the death of the insect. Rearchers have found a pyrethroid insecticide that bees are resistant to which is the tau-fluvalinate. This single protein of the  pyrethroid could make the bees have the same resistance as humans. They believe this discovery could lead to better alternatives in protecting bees while still eliminating pests.

I believe this would be a great advancement in agriculture, I'm aware of the issue about how the bee populations are depleting. Most of the issues are due to pesticides, so this discovery could give bees a chance to repopulate. The benefits of this could possibly help by increasing pollination, because bees are the key players in most of the worlds crop industries. In overall, this discovery could benefit in a variety of ways.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171121121432.htm

http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2017112215160029.html

Insects are Increasingly Evolving Resistance to Genetically Modified Crops

The insect pictured below is known as the corn earworm or the cotton bollworm. It has evolved resistance to four proteins engineered in genetically modified crops that are supposed to keep this insect among others away from the crops. According to a new study, resistance to modified crops is on a steady rise. In 2005, there were only three reports of any type of insect resistance to the modified crops. As of 2016, there were 16 reports of resistance. In those recent cases, it took only 5 years for resistance to develop in the insects. The crops are modified to express certain genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The genes expressed are a type of insecticide and when insects consume the plant, they are poisoned. Reviews of past literature all show that resistance is growing not only to modified crops, but to chemical agents. With more research however, new techniques will arise to control these pests. Hopefully new research will limit chemical control and emphasize ways that will benefit not only humans, but the environment.


https://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/50640/title/Insects-Are-Increasingly-Evolving-Resistance-to-Genetically-Modified-Crops/

https://phys.org/news/2017-10-pest-resistance-biotech-crops-surging.html

Genetic resistance agains budworm in spruce

A gene for the natural resistance to budworm, a common pest, has been identified in white spruce trees by scientists at Universite Laval, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Oxford.

The research consisted of the professors, students, and postdocs comparing the genomes of the resistant trees versus those of the spruces that suffered significant damage. The gene, betaglucosidase-1, was expressed up to 1,000 times more in resistant trees than in non-resistant trees. The gene produces a natural insecticide in the spruce's needles. The degree of the expression varies by the individual.

The discovery of this gene is of great significance to forestry. For example, planting saplings from particularly resistant lineages would produce a forest full of resistant spruces.

link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141121102920.htm