Host-Induced Gene Silencing: A Powerful Strategy to Control Diseases of Wheat and Barley

Abstract

Wheat and barley are the most highly produced and consumed grains in the world. Various pathogens—viruses, bacteria, fungi, insect pests, and nematode parasites—are major threats to yield and economic losses. Strategies for the management of disease control mainly depend on resistance or tolerance breeding, chemical control, and biological control. The discoveries of RNA silencing mechanisms provide a transgenic approach for disease management. Host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) employing RNA silencing mechanisms and, specifically, silencing the targets of invading pathogens, has been successfully applied in crop disease prevention. Here, we cover recent studies that indicate that HIGS is a valuable tool to protect wheat and barley from diseases in an environmentally friendly way.