The first sprayable insecticide made of RNA can target and kill ravenous Colorado potato beetles while sparing most beneficial insects, making it a promising environmentally friendly option.
The first sprayable insecticide made of RNA can target and kill ravenous Colorado potato beetles while sparing most beneficial insects, making it a promising environmentally friendly option.
Colorado potato beetles can devastate entire fields of potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants, leading to billions of dollars of annual crop damage globally. The pests have also developed resistance to many insecticides, which makes the need for a new control method especially important.
The bioinsecticide, marketed as Calantha, is highly effective when applied a few times once larvae first appear in the spring, according to a new study published Oct. 22 in Pest Management Science that tested the spray’s efficacy.
Read more at: Cornell University
Adult Colorado potato beetles eat a potato leaf. (Photo Credit: Brian Nault)
