Graduate Student Clemson University Bennettsville, South Carolina
Body of Abstract: The sugarcane aphid (SCA, Melanaphis sacchari), first discovered in grain and forage sorghum in 2013, has gradually become a major insect pest of sorghum, causing heavy damage to the crops annually, costing millions of dollars in losses throughout the US. Likewise, Armillaria root rot (ARR) caused by Armillaria mellea and A.tabescens, also referred to as oak root rot, has become one of the major causes of precocious peach tree (Prunus persica) death in the southeastern United States. The standard management practices used to control SCA are synthetic pesticides, resistant varieties, and scouting. At the same time, the common management practices for Armillaria are to avoid replanting on the infected grounds and root collar excavations. These practices are somewhat effective in reducing pest pressure and/or disease progression in both cases. No suitable fungicides are available to control ARR pathogens. On the other hand, the pesticides used to manage SCA are Sivanto Prime and Transform; their continued application is expected to develop resistant SCA strains. Additionally, these insecticides cause damage to pollinators. Hence to meet the demand for greener, target-specific, and safer alternatives to manage SCA in sorghum and Armillaria species in peach, this project evaluates the potential of small nucleic acid molecules complementary to the transcript of essential genes in pests and pathogens in preventing their growth in the laboratory, greenhouse, and field studies. The results of the pilot laboratory experiments in both target organisms and future directions will be presented at the symposium.