Game-changing alternatives to conventional fungicides: small RNAs and short peptides

Stefano Rosa, Paolo Pesaresi, Chiara Mizzotti, Vincent Bulone, Bruno Mezzetti, Elena Baraldi, Simona Masiero

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fungicide use is one of the core elements of intensive agriculture because it is necessary to fight pathogens that would otherwise cause large production losses. Oomycete and fungal pathogens are kept under control using several active compounds, some of which are predicted to be banned in the near future owing to serious concerns about their impact on the environment, non-targeted organisms, and human health. To avoid detrimental repercussions for food security, it is essential to develop new biomolecules that control existing and emerging pathogens but are innocuous to human health and the environment. This review presents and discusses the use of novel low-risk biological compounds based on small RNAs and short peptides that are attractive alternatives to current contentious fungicides.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)320-337
Number of pages18
JournalTrends in Biotechnology
Volume40
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • bio-based fungicides
  • dsRNA
  • fungi
  • oomycetes
  • peptides
  • plant pathogens
  • sustainable agriculture

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