Monsanto and competitors such as Bayer and Syngenta are investigating genetic sprays that can temporarily turn off the activity of any gene through a technology called RNA interference, says MIT Technology Review. “The appeal is that it offers control over genes without modifying a plant’s genome – that is, without creating a GMO.”
“That means sprays might sidestep much of the controversy around agricultural biotechnology. Or so companies hope,” says the Review. Sprays could cause tomatoes to taste better, help plants survive drought or combat a virus. “Not only could this be faster than creating new GM crops, but the gene-silencing effects of RNA interference last only a few days or weeks.”
Along with its allure, the technology brings inevitable questions about safety, says author Antonio Regalado. “RNA may be natural. But introducing large amounts of targeted RNA molecules into the environment is not.” The EPA asked a panel of experts last year for advice on how to regulate RNA insecticides. Monsanto wrote an 81-page letter opposing special rules. The panel found little evidence of a risk to people from eating RNA but found it harder to say if there would be environmental risk.