Authors
Zhangguang Cao, Guy Smagghe, Xinlin Lan, Zhuo Li, Xinyao Gu, Gang Li
Published in
Experimental & applied acarology. Volume 97. Issue 4. Nov 09, 2026. Epub Nov 09, 2026.
Abstract
The tomato red spider mite Tetranychus evansi is a major pest of Solanaceous crops and is increasingly difficult to control due to rapid development of resistance to acaricides. Entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana provide environmentally compatible alternatives, but their relatively slow action and variable efficacy limit field performance. This study investigated whether RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated disruption of key physiological pathways in T. evansi could enhance fungal pathogenicity. Spray bioassays revealed stage-specific susceptibility to B. bassiana strain HGS-1, with adult females being the most susceptible stage; however, mortality reached only 54% after 9 days at 1 × 109 spores/mL. To identify molecular targets, genes associated with housekeeping, immune, and cuticle-related functions were screened using RNAi. The result showed that silencing of genes TeATP, TeRPL13, TeRPS18, TeMyd88, TePGRP, TeCPR25, TeHex1, and TeHex2 significantly induced death of adult mites. The fungal infection following RNAi showed that silencing of these genes increased mitesusceptibility to B. bassiana. Co-application of dsRNA and B. bassiana further enhanced control efficacy. In particular, dsTeRPL13 and dsTeNox increased cumulative mortality by 18-19%, while dsTeCHS and dsTeHex1 reduced median lethal time, indicating faster disease progression. These results demonstrate that RNAi-mediated targeting of host physiological pathways can improve the performance of fungal biocontrol. By weakening metabolic capacity, immune defense, and cuticle integrity, this approach offers a promising, biosafe strategy for managing spider mites and addressing acaricide resistance within integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
PMID:
43002318
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Nov 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 2
- Comments 0