RNA-Based Products as New Sustainable Strategies to Control Plant Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

In the breeding of crop plants, increasing crop yields have been a constant priority for farmers, and unfortunately the use of fertilizers and pesticides has often encouraged the productivity of selected genotypes to the detriment of the environment. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that global warming, climate change, and industrial pollution are causing an increase in the frequency, complexity, and intensity of multifactorial combinations of stresses, affecting plants, soils, and microbial communities. It is therefore no coincidence that the EU legislation has recently established a framework for the sustainable use of agrochemicals to reduce the risks and impacts on human health and the environment. Recently, ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) as a biopesticide has emerged as an unusual solution to drastically reduce the negative environmental impacts. This innovative approach to countering biotic stress is, at present, in an experimental stage, and a number of interesting challenges have emerged for scientists, including the following:

• Identify in the host and/or pathogen the target genes against which post-transcriptional silencing should be directed;
• Select the gene sequences of interest to synthesize the appropriate dsRNAs essential to the silencing process. Produce large quantities of dsRNAs containing production costs;
• Deliver dsRNA molecules as efficiently as possible;
• Evaluate whether the binding of dsRNA with nanoparticles can improve the efficiency of their penetration into the host and/or pathogen and, most importantly, increase the efficacy of treatment over time.

Therefore, in order to resolve these critical aspects, it is desirable to collect new data in different areas:

• Genetics of plant resistance and susceptibility to pathogens to identify the best target genes;
• Pathogenicity and the virulence factors of pathogens;
• Molecular biology techniques for optimizing dsRNA production;
• Host–pathogen interaction and identification of the molecular communication factors involved.

This Special Issue invites submissions of original research papers, short communications, and review articles concerning plant pathology and plant genetics to present the advances in the goal of developing innovative RNA-based biopesticide for next-generation agriculture capable of feeding a world prone to climate change.

Dr. Susanna Pecchia
Dr. Marco Fambrini
Dr. Claudio Pugliesi
Guest Editors

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