Original paper
Terpenoid-based control of an invasive lepidopteran pest enhanced by gene-specific RNAi technology
Liu, Haotian; Chu, Dongdong; Wang, Yue; Zhang, Rong; Liu, Jiayue; Liu, Fu; Zhang, Sufang; Han, Rui; Zhao, Xiyang; Deng, Jianyu; Fang, Jiaxing; Kong, Xiangbo
published online: Oct 23, 2025
manuscript accepted: Aug 14, 2025
manuscript revision received: Jul 28, 2025
manuscript revision requested: Jun 12, 2025
manuscript received: May 15, 2025
Abstract
The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury), is a highly invasive defoliator posing a serious threat to agricultural and forest ecosystems. Developing effective biopesticides is crucial for its control. We here present an integrated pest management strategy combining plant-derived insecticides with RNA interference (RNAi) technology. We first screened for insecticidal compounds from non-host coniferous plants of H. cunea through chemical profiling and toxicity assays. Detoxification-related genes in H. cunea were identified through transcriptomics, qRT-PCR, and RNAi validation. Eleven terpenoid compounds were identified from four non-host conifers, among which (−)-terpinen-4-ol exhibited the strongest contact toxicity (LD50: 2.68 mg/g). This compound significantly disrupted H. cunea development by prolonging larval duration and markedly reducing larval weight, pupation rate, pupal weight, and ovarian follicle count in adult females. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that (−)-terpinen-4-ol induced significant changes in gene expression, particularly in cytochrome P450 detoxification and glutathione metabolic pathways. Two key detoxification genes, HcCYP4G15 and HcCYP6B2, were identified and silenced through RNAi, which markedly increased the insect’s sensitivity to (−)-terpinen-4-ol. Our findings highlight the potential of (−)-terpinen-4-ol as a potent, environmentally friendly insecticide for H. cunea, especially when paired with RNAi targeting detoxification genes.
Keywords
Hyphantria cunea
•
pest management •
plant-based pesticides •
terpenoid compounds •
detoxification pathway suppression •
cytochrome P450 •
gene expression •
fall webworm