Advancing towards the commercial application of RNAi in insect pest management

Abstract Insect pests are a great threat to meet the food demands for future generation. RNA interference (RNAi) is a pest management system based on homology-dependent gene silencing mechanism. Current pest management methods mainly include chemicals. RNAi has become a promising alternative to this kind of agrochemical pest control method. Recent reports have described spraying, injecting, and root absorption as better methods to use in the incorporation of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) onto plants to efficiently control insect pests. Here, we review RNA silencing-based strategies, including nanotechnology-encountered advancements that have been tested in recent years. The prospects of RNAi as a feasible and sustainable insect pest management strategy will be discussed. There are few commercial applications in use to control pests in agriculture using RNAi. Although a few more hurdles still need to be addressed with the commercial application, further technological advancements will soon enable the use of dsRNAs for insect pest control.