Pests can be the make-or-break factor for a season’s harvest. Between 20% to 40% of global crop production is lost to pests annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
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[Amidst] debates over farming practices and industry-funded campaigns, another option for crop protection is taking root.
In Kansas City and St. Louis, companies like TechAccel and its subsidiary, RNAissance Ag, are developing the use of RNA-based pesticides. This biodegradable technology is meant to be a molecularly precise solution, targeting a pest’s genes to shut down the very proteins it needs to survive.
Traditional chemicals are like a shotgun blast. The mark is hit, but the blast also creates a ton of collateral damage ….
RNI, on the other hand, is more of a sniper rifle; it’s programmed with the genetic information of a single target, and it leaves everything else completely alone.
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TechAccel’s primary focus is the development of sprayable RNAi products against agricultural pests like the diamondback moth, fall armyworm, and the Colorado potato beetle — insects that tend to be more resistant to insecticides.
