The Experts below are selected from a list of 168 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform

Ocspp - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

Aaron D. Gross - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Biopesticides: State of the Art and Future Opportunities - Biopesticides: state of the art and future opportunities.
    Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 2014
    Co-Authors: James N. Seiber, Joel R. Coats, Stephen O. Duke, Aaron D. Gross
    Abstract:

    The use of biopesticides and related alternative management products is increasing. New tools, including semiochemicals and Plant-Incorporated Protectants (PIPs), as well as botanical and microbially derived chemicals, are playing an increasing role in pest management, along with plant and animal genetics, biological control, cultural methods, and newer synthetics. The goal of this Perspective is to highlight promising new biopesticide research and development (R&D), based upon recently published work and that presented in the American Chemical Society (ACS) symposium "Biopesticides: State of the Art and Future Opportunities," as well as the authors' own perspectives. Although the focus is on biopesticides, included in this Perspective is progress with products exhibiting similar characteristics, namely those naturally occurring or derived from natural products. These are target specific, of low toxicity to nontarget organisms, reduced in persistence in the environment, and potentially usable in organic agriculture. Progress is being made, illustrated by the number of biopesticides and related products in the registration pipeline, yet major commercial opportunities exist for new bioherbicides and bionematicides, in part occasioned by the emergence of weeds resistant to glyphosate and the phase-out of methyl bromide. The emergence of entrepreneurial start-up companies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fast track for biopesticides, and the availability of funding for registration-related R&D for biorational pesticides through the U.S. IR-4 program provide incentives for biopesticide development, but an expanded effort is warranted both in the United States and worldwide to support this relatively nascent industry.

Xuguo Zhou - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Dietary RNAi toxicity assay exhibits differential responses to ingested dsRNAs among lady beetles.
    Pest management science, 2020
    Co-Authors: Huipeng Pan, Xiaowei Yang, Jörg Romeis, Blair D. Siegfried, Xuguo Zhou
    Abstract:

    BACKGROUND Most recently, major federal regulatory agencies deregulated an in planta RNA interference (RNAi) trait against a devastating corn pest, the western corn rootworm Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, in the United States and Canada. The impact of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) Plant-Incorporated Protectants (PIPs) and dietary RNAi to non-target organisms, however, still needs further investigation. In this study, we assessed the potential risks of a Diabrotica virgifera virgifera active dsRNA to a group of predatory biological control agents, including Hippodamia convergens, Harmonia axyridis, Coleomegilla maculata, and Coccinella septempunctata. The overarching hypothesis is that the insecticidal dsRNA targeting Diabrotica virgifera virgifera has no or negligible adverse effect on lady beetles. RESULTS A 400-bp fragment with the highest sequence similarity between target and tested species was selected as the template for dsRNA synthesis. For the dietary RNAi toxicity assay, newly hatched first instar larvae were administered with v-ATPase A dsRNAs designed from Diabrotica virgifera virgifera and the four lady beetles, respectively. A dsRNA from β-glucuronidase (GUS), a plant gene, and H2 O were served as the negative controls. The endpoint included both sub-organismal (gene expression), and organismal (survival rate, development time, pupa and adult weight) measurements. The results from dietary RNAi toxicity assay demonstrate significantly impacts of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera-active dsRNAs on lady beetles under the worst-case scenario at both transcriptional and phenotypic level. Interestingly, substantial differences among the four lady beetle species were observed toward the ingested exogenous dsRNAs. CONCLUSION Such differential response to dietary RNAi may shed light on the mechanisms underlying the mode-of-action of RNAi-based biopesticides. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

  • Selection of Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis in Coccinella septempunctata to Assess Un-intended Effects of RNAi Transgenic Plants
    Frontiers in plant science, 2016
    Co-Authors: Chunxiao Yang, Evan L. Preisser, Hongjun Zhang, Yong Liu, Liangying Dai, Huipeng Pan, Xuguo Zhou
    Abstract:

    The development of genetically-engineered plants that employ RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress invertebrate pests opens up new avenues for insect control. While this biotechnology shows tremendous promise, the potential for both non-target and off-target impacts, which likely manifest via altered mRNA expression in the exposed organisms, remains a major concern. One powerful tool for the analysis of these un-intended effects is RT-qPCR, a technique for quantifying gene expression using a suite of reference genes for normalization. The seven-spotted ladybeetle Coccinella septempunctata, a commonly-used predator in both classical and augmentative biological controls, is a model surrogate species used in the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of plant incorporated Protectants (PIPs). Here, we assessed the suitability of eight reference gene candidates for the normalization and analysis of C. septempunctata v-ATPase A gene expression under both biotic and abiotic conditions. Five computational tools with distinct algorisms, geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, the ΔCt method, and RefFinder, were used to evaluate the stability of these candidates. As a result, unique sets of reference genes were recommended respectively for experiments involving different developmental stages, tissues, and ingested dsRNAs. By providing a foundation for standardized RT-qPCR analysis in C. septempunctata, our work improves the accuracy and replicability of the ERA of PIPs involving RNAi transgenic plants.

Oscp - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

James N. Seiber - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Biopesticides: State of the Art and Future Opportunities - Biopesticides: state of the art and future opportunities.
    Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 2014
    Co-Authors: James N. Seiber, Joel R. Coats, Stephen O. Duke, Aaron D. Gross
    Abstract:

    The use of biopesticides and related alternative management products is increasing. New tools, including semiochemicals and Plant-Incorporated Protectants (PIPs), as well as botanical and microbially derived chemicals, are playing an increasing role in pest management, along with plant and animal genetics, biological control, cultural methods, and newer synthetics. The goal of this Perspective is to highlight promising new biopesticide research and development (R&D), based upon recently published work and that presented in the American Chemical Society (ACS) symposium "Biopesticides: State of the Art and Future Opportunities," as well as the authors' own perspectives. Although the focus is on biopesticides, included in this Perspective is progress with products exhibiting similar characteristics, namely those naturally occurring or derived from natural products. These are target specific, of low toxicity to nontarget organisms, reduced in persistence in the environment, and potentially usable in organic agriculture. Progress is being made, illustrated by the number of biopesticides and related products in the registration pipeline, yet major commercial opportunities exist for new bioherbicides and bionematicides, in part occasioned by the emergence of weeds resistant to glyphosate and the phase-out of methyl bromide. The emergence of entrepreneurial start-up companies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fast track for biopesticides, and the availability of funding for registration-related R&D for biorational pesticides through the U.S. IR-4 program provide incentives for biopesticide development, but an expanded effort is warranted both in the United States and worldwide to support this relatively nascent industry.