![]() ![]() We've also looked at how the RNAi develops inside the plants and nematodes, how the plant is able to switch off specific genes involved in the process of nematode parasitism, thus stopping infestation, and how parts of RNAi from plants, when ingested by nematodes, cause their death by silencing some of their essential genes. "By using mathematical models, we learned how biostimulants are absorbed by wheat plants, so we now know the best way to deliver them. The technique also reduces the level of nematode infestation by 73 to 83% compared to plants grown without biostimulants. The team's experiments show that soaking the seeds of the plants in the biostimulant solution increases the chances of the plants surviving by between 57 to 92%. And because they are naturally occurring, rather than made of chemicals, they could potentially be used by organic farmers to make organic food more affordable in future.ĭr Blyuss' mathematical modelling explains how RNA interference works in plants and shows the most effective way to apply the biostimulants to keep the crop safe from the harmful nematodes. The biostimulants only affect specific nematode and plant genes, and do not harm other species of insects. We've targeted the specific genes of the nematode, so we know this won't affect other creatures." "By soaking the seeds of the plant in the solution of biostimulants, the plant becomes a 'Trojan horse' for delivering special compounds produced inside the plants to the nematodes, which then kills them. The biostimulants can be applied either by soaking the seeds or roots in a solution containing the biostimulants, or by adding the solution to the soil in which the plants are growing. The gene silencing process is triggered when biostimulants, which are metabolites of bacteria occurring naturally in the soil, are applied to wheat. The biostimulants also 'switch off' the plant's own genes that are affected by the nematodes, making it much harder for the parasite to harm the crop. ![]() The team has developed a method to 'silence' the harmful nematode's genes by using biostimulants derived from naturally occurring soil bacteria. "A nematode, as all other living organisms, requires some proteins to be produced to survive and make offspring, and RNA interference is a process which stops, or silences, production of these." There are naturally occurring bacteria contained in soil which can help protect plants against harmful nematodes, but until now there has not been an effective way to harness the power of these bacteria to protect crops on a large scale.ĭr Blyuss and his colleagues have used 'RNA interference' (RNAi) to precisely target a species of nematode that harms wheat. Targeting the harmful nematodes with chemical pesticides is problematic because they can indiscriminately harm other insects. "With a rising global population needing to be fed, and an urgent need to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels, our research is an important step forward in the search for environmentally safe crop protection which doesn't harm bees or other insects."Īn estimated $130 billion worth of crops are lost every year to diseases caused by nematodes. This breakthrough method of pest control works with the plant's own genes to kill specific microscopic worms, called nematodes, without harming any other insects, birds or mammals.ĭr Konstantin Blyuss, from the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Sussex, said:
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