Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended that the RNAi pesticide product ledprona containing new active ingredients be registered for three years. This period is consistent with the EPA's registration period for other new pesticide products.
Ledprona is a new pesticide that relies on RNA interference (RNAi), a natural mechanism used by plants and insects to fight off disease. The proposed new biopesticide is a sprayable double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) product that targets the Colorado potato beetle (CPB). CPB is the main pest of potato crops in the United States. It mostly feeds on potato plant leaves. It can quickly develop resistance to pesticides, making it difficult to control and highly harmful.
Ledprona uses RNA interference to spray dsRNA products to kill pests by "silencing" the CPB gene required to produce PSMB5 protein. The role of PSMB5 protein is crucial to maintaining the life of CPB without causing the emergence of genetically modified organisms. If approved by the EPA, this RNAi-based insecticide would be the world's first sprayable dsRNA insecticide allowed for commercial use and sprayed on plants.
Currently, the EPA has conducted a comprehensive assessment of Ledprona to ensure that this new biotechnology product does not cause any unreasonable adverse effects on the environment and that its residues do not pose a hazard to the safety of human food. In May of this year, we jointly conducted a rigorous evaluation of this new biotechnology product with the RNAi pesticide expert group organized by the OECD Pesticide Working Group and international partners and experts in the field. In accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the product has been approved for Experimental Use Permit (EUP) in 10 states in the United States. To date, no safety implications have been found.
The dsRNA currently developed by Zhi Sheng Yougu has high purity, and after stabilization treatment, its activity can be maintained for more than 15 days and its half-life is 20-30 days. It still has good stability under the conditions of strong light irradiation, ultraviolet irradiation, and acid and alkali treatment. Field tests have been conducted on crop pests with strong resistance to pesticides. For example, the lethality rate for aphids is equivalent to that of traditional pesticides, up to 90%; for yellow-striped flea beetles, the mortality rate reaches 92% within 24 hours.
In the future, Plant Biotech will continue to implement its mission of "creating green pesticides and serving green agriculture", provide a demonstration for the creation and application of new green pesticides in my country, and provide a model for my country's new RNA biotechnology products in food security, plant safety and "double-use". and make due contributions to the achievement of carbon targets.
