RNA Interference: For Improving Traits and Disease Management in Plants

Abstract

Plant disease and reduced yield are both significant threats to modern agriculture. Cultivation managers continue to find control of disease and yield elusive. Plant biologists have adopted various methods of engineering for generating plants resistant to insect pests, viruses, nematodes, fungi, salinity, and drought. Most utilize resistance based on RNA silencing, a powerful genetic engineering tool with a robust history of enhancing plant growth, crop yield, and disease resistance for the past two decades. Genetically engineered plants expressing small RNAs are increasingly vital and likely to provide future effective strategies. Rapid application and other advantages of RNAi make it a novel gene therapy against drought, salinity, fungus, virus, and bacteria. RNAi also has the potential to improve plant metabolic traits through chromatin remodeling, gene expression via mRNA degradation, and inhibition of translation. A processed product dsRNA known as small interfering RNAs and microRNAs guides the silencing mechanism. Use of tissue-specific or inducible gene silencing, with appropriate promoters, to silence multiple genes simultaneously should allow genetic engineers to protect crops against disease and improve traits. The focus of this chapter is a general discussion of RNAi development, including its role in trait improvement and disease management in plants.