Application of RNA interference technology for controlling chili anthracnose

Chili anthracnose is a significant disease since it harms both the quantity and quality of the crop. The harvest of chilies was rotten, and the yield of chilies per area fell. As a result, it presents a significant barrier to the dissemination of chili peppers in both domestic and international markets. RNA interference (RNAi) technology was used in this study as a method to aid in the management of the anthracnose disease in chili peppers. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) was produced from the Ceramide Glucosyltransferase gene of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides using an in vitro transcription technique. It was shown that dsRNA was a potent disease preventive. Distinct sample concentrations had different effects on C. gloeosporioides growth on chilies. The dsRNA-Cg 1,000 ng/µl was the most effective controller of the anthracnose disease, as measured by the disease index (%DI), which was 14.44%. However, chilies treated with dsRNA- Cg at 300 ng/µl and 500 ng/µl showed disease index around 28.89% and 38.89%, respectively. The diameters of the fungal colonies in the inoculation chili from the dsRNA-treated and control samples differed significantly (p < 0.05), which indicates that dsRNA can lessen the severity of the symptoms.