RNAi-Mediated Whitefly Resistance in Cassava: Transgenic Plant Bioassay Results

140 independent transgenic cassava lines were generated targeting whitefly metabolic genes. Whole plant bioassays showed insecticidal activity, with 58% adult lethality within 7 days and 75-90% nymph lethality after 25 days. The dataset, authored by Narayanan Narayanan and last updated in May 2026, models the potential for durable whitefly control in East African cassava fields.

Use Cases

• Modeling pest population dynamics based on described RNAi-induced mortality rates.
• Evaluating the efficacy of targeting multiple insect metabolic processes for pest control.
• Assessing the potential for durable resistance in cassava against whitefly-borne viral diseases.

Strengths

• Dataset includes specific bioassay results, such as 58% adult whitefly lethality and 75-90% nymph lethality.
• Research is based on 140 independent transgenic lines targeting 15 candidate genes.
• License is CC-BY-4.0, permitting open sharing and adaptation.

Limitations

• Dataset is very small at 18.2 KB, suggesting limited scope or summary-level data.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

figshare, author Narayanan Narayanan.

Collection Method

Generated from transcriptome analysis and in-planta RNAi experiments on cassava variety NASE 13.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-22 06:12:54; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Research context is East Africa, where cassava diseases cause over US$1.25 billion in annual losses.