RNA-Based Pesticides Move From Laboratory Science to Commercial Crop Protection
From the first sprayable dsRNA insecticide to RNA fungicides, mite treatments and new Chinese registrations, a technology once viewed as experimental is beginning to establish a commercial foothold in agriculture.
01 September 2026, London: RNA interference, or RNAi, is moving into a new phase in crop protection. After years of laboratory research, field trials and regulatory uncertainty, double-stranded RNA, or dsRNA, is now being developed into commercial products targeting insects, fungi, mites and potentially weeds.
The breakthrough came in December 2023, when the US Environmental Protection Agency registered Ledprona, a sprayable dsRNA pesticide developed by GreenLight Biosciences and marketed as Calantha, for control of Colorado potato beetle in potatoes. EPA described it as a new type of pesticide based on RNA interference.
The significance is that RNA can provide a highly specific mode of action. Instead of broadly disrupting a pest’s nervous system or metabolism, dsRNA is designed to match a particular gene. When the target organism takes up the RNA, its natural RNAi machinery can silence that gene, potentially preventing production of an essential protein and ultimately killing or suppressing the pest.
Two routes are shaping the market
RNA-based crop protection is developing along two main routes.
The first is the plant-incorporated approach, where crops are genetically engineered to produce dsRNA themselves. Bayer’s MON87411, marketed through products including SmartStax PRO, uses DvSnf7 dsRNA to target western corn rootworm. Corteva has developed DP23211, which uses dsRNA targeting another corn-rootworm gene. Bayer’s MON95275 combines DvSnf7 RNAi with additional insecticidal proteins.
The second is spray-induced gene silencing, or SIGS. Here, dsRNA is manufactured and applied to crops in a manner more similar to a conventional foliar pesticide. This approach is attracting particular attention because it does not require the crop itself to be genetically modified.
Calantha is the leading commercial example. Its active ingredient, Ledprona, is a specific dsRNA designed to target Colorado potato beetle. EPA registered the product for three years after reviewing its human-health and environmental safety.
GreenLight is currently setting the pace
GreenLight Biosciences has emerged as the most visible commercial developer of sprayable RNA crop-protection products.
Its Calantha product has moved beyond the US market. In May 2026, Belgian authorities granted an emergency-use authorisation for Calantha against Colorado potato beetle in potatoes for the 2026 growing season. GreenLight described the decision as the first use of RNA technology for crop protection in the European Union.
The company is also expanding beyond insect control.
In September 2025, GreenLight launched Norroa, an RNA-based treatment targeting the Varroa mite, one of the major threats to honeybee colonies. The product uses the company’s RNA technology to target the parasite rather than the bee. GreenLight now describes Calantha and Norroa as commercial products in the hands of growers and beekeepers.
The next major development is an RNA fungicide.
GreenLight submitted regulatory dossiers in the United States, European Union and Brazil in October 2025 for an RNA-based product targeting grape powdery mildew, caused by Erysiphe necator. The active ingredient received the ISO common name erysichrona in April 2026. Brazil subsequently placed the dsRNA product on a priority review list.
If approved, the product would extend RNA technology from insect control into fungal disease management.
China has now entered the commercial race
China is also producing important milestones.
In April 2026, China’s pesticide regulator approved products from Silicon Gene containing tobacco mosaic virus capsid-targeting RNAi technology. The registrations include a 65% TK formulation and a 2.5% suspension concentrate, designed to control tobacco mosaic virus disease. The development represents an important expansion of RNA pesticides into plant disease control rather than insect management.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has simultaneously been working on the industrialisation challenge. In August 2026, a research team published a framework for moving spray-induced gene silencing from proof of concept toward industrial application, highlighting the continuing focus on manufacturing, delivery, stability and field performance.
More companies are building the technology
The competitive landscape extends well beyond GreenLight.
AgroSpheres is developing RNA-based crop protection around its proprietary encapsulation and manufacturing technology. Its biodegradable delivery system is designed to improve the stability and release of biological actives. In 2024, AgroSpheres signed a multi-year commercial development agreement with FMC Corporation, combining AgroSpheres’ RNA and delivery technologies with FMC’s testing and commercial capabilities.
AgroSpheres opened its first commercial biomanufacturing facility in Virginia in April 2026, a significant step toward large-scale production of biological crop-protection technologies.
RNAissance Ag is developing sprayable RNAi products against pests that have historically been difficult to control using RNA approaches, particularly lepidopteran insects. Its lead programme targets the diamondback moth, with additional targets including fall armyworm, cutworms, cabbage looper, corn rootworm and spider mites. The company says its early field trials are focused on improving RNAi efficacy against these pests.
Renaissance BioScience is taking a different approach, using engineered yeast for RNA production and delivery. In July 2026, the company received Genome BC funding to extend its RNAi biopesticide platform from above-ground insects to soil-dwelling pests, beginning with wireworms.
In May, Renaissance also filed a patent application for a yeast-derived virus-like particle platform designed to produce, stabilise and deliver RNA. The company says the technology could eventually extend beyond chewing insects into applications including fungicides and herbicides.
The major commercial and development landscape
| Company | Product / platform | Delivery route | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GreenLight Biosciences | Calantha / Ledprona | Foliar spray / SIGS | Colorado potato beetle | Commercial |
| GreenLight Biosciences | Norroa / Vadescana | Oral delivery via sucrose pouch | Varroa mite | Commercial / market development |
| GreenLight Biosciences | Erysichrona / ES-43 | Foliar spray / SIGS | Grape powdery mildew | Regulatory development |
| Bayer Crop Science | SmartStax PRO / MON87411 | In-plant / plant-incorporated RNAi | Western corn rootworm | Commercial |
| Bayer Crop Science | MON95275 | In-plant / plant-incorporated RNAi | Western corn rootworm | Approved trait |
| Corteva Agriscience | DP23211 | In-plant / plant-incorporated RNAi | Western corn rootworm | Approved trait |
| Silicon Gene | Tobacco mosaic virus RNAi products | Spray-applied / exogenous RNA | Tobacco mosaic virus | Registered in China |
| AgroSpheres / FMC | RNAi pipeline + delivery platform | Primarily exogenous / sprayable delivery | Multiple pests | Development |
| RNAissance Ag | Sprayable RNAi platform | Foliar spray / SIGS | Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, mites | Field development |
| Renaissance BioScience | Yeast-based RNAi platform | Biological carrier / oral or contact delivery under development | Insects, including wireworms | Development |
The distinction between these products matters. Bayer and Corteva’s products are plant-incorporated RNAi traits, while GreenLight’s Calantha is an externally applied, sprayable dsRNA product. Scientific literature identifies these as different technological and regulatory pathways.
Delivery remains the industry’s biggest problem
The biggest obstacle for RNA pesticides is not discovering a target gene. It is getting enough intact RNA to the right biological location.
RNA is vulnerable to degradation from ultraviolet radiation, environmental conditions and microbial activity. Its performance can also depend on formulation, application method, plant surface characteristics and the biology of the target organism.
This is why delivery technologies are becoming almost as important as the RNA sequence itself. Researchers are investigating nanoparticles, encapsulation, protective carriers, modified RNA and other systems to improve stability and uptake. A 2026 review identified delivery, stabilisation and field implementation among the central challenges facing commercial RNA pesticides.
Recent research is also changing assumptions about how sprayed RNA behaves in plants. University of Queensland researchers reported in February 2026 that dsRNA applied to leaves can move through plants and reach roots, opening possibilities for controlling pathogens away from the original spray site.
From insecticides to fungicides and herbicides
The technology is therefore moving beyond a single product category.
Insects remain the most advanced target because RNAi is particularly well suited to silencing essential genes in many arthropod pests. But the pipeline is expanding toward fungal diseases, plant viruses, mites and potentially weeds.
GreenLight’s grape powdery mildew programme is one of the clearest examples of this expansion. Renaissance is also investigating broader delivery applications, while Chinese researchers and companies are advancing virus-targeting RNA products.
The longer-term opportunity is to create crop-protection products that combine sequence specificity, new modes of action and adaptable delivery systems.
The next test is economics
The scientific case for RNA pesticides is increasingly strong, but commercial success will depend on cost.
Manufacturers must produce large quantities of dsRNA consistently, formulate it for storage and field application, protect it from degradation and achieve sufficient efficacy at a commercially acceptable application rate.
This explains the importance of companies investing not only in RNA sequences but also in low-cost production and delivery. RNAissance Ag, for example, says its microbial manufacturing platform is designed to produce dsRNA at commercial scale, while AgroSpheres and Renaissance are developing different approaches to stabilisation and delivery.
A new layer of crop-protection technology
RNA-based pesticides are no longer confined to academic research. There are now registered RNAi crop traits, a commercial sprayable insecticide, a commercial Varroa treatment, a newly registered RNA product in China and multiple products progressing through regulatory pipelines.
The technology is still young. Calantha’s registration was only the first major regulatory proof that externally applied dsRNA could become a pesticide in its own right. But developments through 2025 and 2026 show that the industry is moving rapidly from proof of concept toward a broader product platform.
The next phase will be determined by three questions: Can RNA be manufactured cheaply enough? Can it be delivered reliably enough? And can companies demonstrate consistent field performance across crops, climates and pest populations?
If those questions are answered, RNA could evolve from a specialised biological technology into a new crop-protection platform, sitting alongside conventional chemistry, biologicals and precision-delivery systems.
The significance is not that RNA will replace conventional pesticides. Rather, it could give farmers something the industry increasingly needs: highly specific new modes of action that can be integrated into resistance management while opening entirely new approaches to controlling pests and diseases.
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