About this Research Topic

Background

The global demand on agri-food systems continues to grow, necessitating innovative strategies for increasing agricultural productivity without exacerbating environmental degradation. Among the most pressing challenges is the effective management of pests and pathogens that significantly reduce crop yields. Conventional chemical pesticides, while effective, present substantial risks to human health and ecosystems. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop more sustainable pest control solutions.

Plants have developed intricate defense systems, often involving secondary metabolites such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) synthesized through pathways like shikimate, mevalonic acid (MVA), and lipoxygenase (LOX). However, under current agricultural intensification, these natural defenses are frequently insufficient to combat pests. Recent breakthroughs in genome editing (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9), RNA interference (RNAi), and synthetic biology have opened new avenues for enhancing plant defense by optimizing these metabolic pathways and introducing novel defense strategies.

This Research Topic will explore how cutting-edge technologies can be harnessed to reprogram plants’ natural defense mechanisms in a targeted and sustainable manner. It seeks to investigate the integration of genome editing, RNAi, and synthetic biology for:

- Engineering secondary metabolite pathways: Focusing on boosting the production of VOCs and other defense molecules by precise gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9, base editing, and RNAi.

- Development of novel metabolic pathways: Leveraging synthetic biology to introduce entirely new biosynthetic routes for defensive compounds that were not present in the native plant genome.

- Combined strategies for enhanced pest resistance: Exploring the synergy between genome editing, RNAi, and traditional plant breeding for creating robust and resilient crop varieties.

- Ecological and agricultural benefits: Evaluating the broader environmental impacts of genome-edited and RNAi-modified plants in terms of reducing pesticide usage, promoting biodiversity, and supporting ecosystem services.

- Regulatory and ethical considerations: Addressing the regulatory landscape for genome-edited and RNAi-based crops, and examining global perspectives on the adoption of these technologies.

We welcome contributions that focus on:

- CRISPR-Cas9 and other genome editing tools: Applications for modifying genes involved in secondary metabolite pathways and creating pest-resistant crops.

- Synthetic biology approaches: Creating new VOC pathways and artificial defense systems using synthetic genes and regulatory elements.

- RNAi-based pest control: Development and optimization of RNAi strategies for sustainable pest control, including novel delivery mechanisms (e.g., nanoparticle-based systems).

- Real-world applications and case studies: Field trials and success stories of genome-edited or RNAi-enhanced crops.

- Emerging technologies: Exploration of advanced editing tools such as prime editing and base editing to achieve precision in defense pathways with minimal off-target effects.

- Sustainability and biodiversity impacts: Investigating how these new crop varieties contribute to the reduction of chemical pesticide use and promote sustainable farming practices.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: agri-food systems, pest control, chemical pesticides, sustainable pest control, genome editing, CRISPR-Cas9, RNA interference, synthetic biology, volatile organic compounds, metabolic pathways

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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