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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #345193
Research Project: Urban Landscape Integrated Pest Management

Location: Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory

Title: Arthropod genomics research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service: Applications of RNA interference and CRISPR gene editing technologies in pest control

Author
item Gundersen-Rindal, Dawn
item Adrianos, Sherry
item Allen, Margaret - Meg
item Becnel, James
item Chen, Yanping - Judy
item Choi, Man-Yeon
item ESTEP, ALDEN - University Of Florida
item Evans, Jay
item Garczynski, Stephen
item Geib, Scott
item Ghosh, Saikat Kumar
item Handler, Alfred - Al
item Hasegawa, Daniel
item Heerman, Matthew
item Hull, Joe
item Hunter, Wayne
item Kaur, Navneet
item LI, JIANGHONG - Fujian Agricultural & Forestry University
item LI, WENGFENG - Zhejiang University
item Ling, Kai-Shu
item Nayduch, Dana
item Oppert, Brenda
item Perera, Omaththage
item Perkin, Lindsey
item Sanscrainte, Neil
item Sim, Sheina
item Sparks, Michael
item Temeyer, Kevin
item Vander Meer, Robert - Bob
item Wintermantel, William - Bill
item James, Rosalind
item Hackett, Kevin
item Coates, Brad

Submitted to: Trends in Entomology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/17/2017
Publication Date: 12/20/2017
Citation: Gundersen, D.E., Adrianos, S.L., Allen, M.L., Becnel, J.J., Chen, Y., Choi, M.Y., Estep, A., Evans, J.D., Garczynski, S.F., Geib, S.M., Ghosh, S.B., Handler, A.M., Hasegawa, D.K., Heerman, M.C., Hull, J.J., Hunter, W.B., Kaur, N., Li, J., Li, W., Ling, K., Nayduch, D., Oppert, B.S., Perera, O.P., Perkin, L.C., Sanscrainte, N.D., Sim, S.B., Sparks, M., Temeyer, K.B., Vander Meer, R.K., Wintermantel, W.M., James, R.R., Hackett, K.J., Coates, B.S. 2017. Arthropod genomics research in the United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service: Applications of RNA interference and CRISPR gene editing technologies in pest control. Trends in Entomology. 13:109-137.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the intramural research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which addresses basic scientific questions and develops applied solutions to a range of agricultural problems, and in doing so protects national food security and supports international trade. The damage to agricultural commodities inflicted by arthropod pest species cause a reduction in producer output and profitability as well as product quality, such that the development of novel and effective arthropod control tactics remains a research challenge at USDA ARS. Additionally, USDA ARS invests research into arthropod control within urban settings, where damage to dwellings, and ornamental and shade plants are of concern to homeowners and businesses alike. These goals of enhancing pest arthropod control must be balanced with environmental concerns, including the protection of beneficial species and pollinators. The recent development of RNA interference (RNAi) and gene editing technologies, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and associated protein (CRISPR/Cas), have opened new avenues for the development of novel arthropod control measures. Future applications have the potential to increase the specificity and efficacy, durability, and environmental sustainability of pesticide treatments. Analogously, gene editing technologies provide researchers the means to generate stable genetic modifications within arthropods that facilitate both basic exploratory research and support efforts to suppress arthropod populations using gene drives and other strategies. In this paper, the current translational research being conducted at USDA ARS using the application of RNAi and gene editing to control arthropod pest species is reviewed, which includes broad scope research encompassing arthropod pests that impact field and orchard crops, ornamentals, urban landscapes, and livestock production. These significant efforts and achievements by ARS are contributing to improvements in agricultural production that benefits producers, the agricultural industry, and consumers both domestically and abroad.