Bacteria-Mediated RNA Interference for Management of Plagiodera versicolora (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a novel and feasible strategy for pest management. Methods for cost-effective production and stable delivery of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to the target insects are crucial for the wide application of RNAi for pest control. In this study, we tested the expression of dsRNA in RNaseIII-deficient Escherichia coli HT115 which was then fed to Plagiodera versicolora larvae, an insect pest of Salicaceae plants worldwide. By targeting six potential genes, including actin (ACT), signal recognition particle protein 54k (SRP54), heat shock protein 70 (HSC70), shibire (SHI), cactus (CACT), and soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion attachment proteins (SNAP), we found that feeding bacteria-expressed dsRNA successfully triggered the silencing of the five target genes tested and the suppression of ACT and SRP54 genes caused significant mortality. Our results suggest that the oral delivery of bacteria-expressed dsRNA is a potential alternative for the control of P. versicolora, and that ACT and SRP54 genes are the potent targets.