The primary purpose of this agreement is to conduct field evaluation of rnai technology to control asian longhorn beetle

This Cooperative Agreement award, valued at $135,039.00 and effective from September 30, 2024 to September 29, 2025, is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care Federal Grant Program (CFDA 10.025). The primary purpose is to conduct field evaluation of RNA interference (RNAi) technology to control the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) in South Carolina. The objectives include producing sufficient quantities of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to inject trees during the ALB flight season, testing the dsRNA in laboratory bioassays, and injecting the dsRNA into trees to evaluate its efficacy in controlling ALB damage. A subaward to Clemson University will assist with conducting the field trials in South Carolina. The awarded entity is the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, a non-profit research organization that has extensive experience managing federal grants and contracts across various scientific and technological domains.

RNA interference (rnai) is a posttranscriptional gene-silencing mechanism where double-stranded rnas (dsrna) knockdown genes by targeting mrna in a cell, and has recently become a powerful reverse genetic tool for functional characterization of genes in different model and nonmodel organisms. When rnai technology was employed to silence genes critical for the survival of pest insects by expressing dsrna targeting these genes in plants, a reduction in the survival of target insect pests feeding on these transgenic plants was observed. The application of rnai technology for pest management by expressing dsrna in plants to control coleopteran pests such as the corn rootworm and colorado potato beetle is under development for commercialization. This agreement will provide field testing of dsrna product to control ALB in the areas of south carolina with current ALB infestation. The objectives include the production of sufficient quantities of dsiap and dsgfp (control dsrna) to inject trees during the ALB flight season, testing of dsrna produced by laboratory bioassays prior to field testing, and injection of dsrna into trees selected based on their visual ALB-infestation ratings cond ucted by state and federal regulatory personnel and evaluation of trees for ALB damage. The following information will be provided to the USDA aphis PPQ ALB program: information on the production of dsiap and dsgfp in bacteria, information on activity of dsiap and dsgfp produced in bacteria (including GEL pictures, QRT-PCR and mortality data obtained by laboratory lab bioassays), and data on the efficacy of dsiap in controlling ALB in the field. There will be a subaward to clemson university to assist with conducting field trials in south carolina.