New wind in the sails: improving the agronomic value of crop plants through RNA i‐mediated gene silencing

Summary RNA interference ( RNA i) has emerged as a powerful genetic tool for scientific research over the past several years. It has been utilized not only in fundamental research for the assessment of gene function, but also in various fields of applied research, such as human and veterinary medicine and agriculture. In plants, RNA i strategies have the potential to allow manipulation of various aspects of food quality and nutritional content. In addition, the demonstration that agricultural pests, such as insects and nematodes, can be killed by exogenously supplied RNA i targeting their essential genes has raised the possibility that plant predation can be controlled by lethal RNA i signals generated in planta . Indeed, recent evidence argues that this strategy, called host‐induced gene silencing ( HIGS ), is effective against sucking insects and nematodes; it also has been shown to compromise the growth and development of pathogenic fungi, as well as bacteria and viruses, on their plant hosts. Here, we review recent studies that reveal the enormous potential RNA i strategies hold not only for improving the nutritive value and safety of the food supply, but also for providing an environmentally friendly mechanism for plant protection.