article 01: Self-defence for plants - agriFuture

eetle. This last point is of
fundamental importance
and achieves innovative pest
destruction with a very high
specificity, even higher than
that achieved so far by existing
biotechnological processes
(e.g. Bt maize or cotton).
On top of this, the risk
of resistance developing is
lower than with the Bt concept.
These advantages for RNAi
(including exclusion of damage
to non-target organisms)
mean it should experience a
broader acceptance from
society. And of course there
are attractions for RNAi
technology outside of insect
pest control. Its role in pre-
cise inhibition of stress-induced
or stress-dependent
proteins in plants has the
potential of conferring increased
crop tolerance to
drought, heat, cold or ozone
in rapeseed or maize, possibilities
which guarantee an
exciting future for RNAi
technology in agriculture.
◆
Prof. Dr. Andreas Vilcinskas,
Institute for Phytopathology and
Applied Zoology, Prof. Dr.
Wolfgang Friedt, Peter Krause,
Institute for Plant Breeding,
University of Giessen
●
Vor allem im Rapsanbau stößt der Einsatz
herkömmlicher Insektizide an seine Grenzen.
Neue gentechnische Methoden könnten künftig
ganz neue Strategien ermöglichen, mit denen
Schadinsekten bekämpft werden können, ohne dabei die
Nützlinge oder den Menschen zu gefährden.
●
La culture du colza est la première concernée par
l’efficacité de plus en plus limite des insecticides
classiques. De nouvelles techniques de génie
génétique pourraient ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives
de lutte en contrôlant les ravageurs sans nuire aux
auxiliaires utiles ou à l’homme.