dsRNAs Targeted to the Brown Planthopper Nilaparvata lugens : Assessing Risk to a Non-Target, Beneficial Predator, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis .

RNA interference (RNAi) technology is becoming a maturing insect management approach. Before commercial-scale application, however, it is necessary to assess risks to non-target organisms (NTOs). Here, we evaluated the influence of RNAi technology, targeted to the brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens , Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a serious pest of Asian rice cropping systems, by dsRNA feeding. Three dsRNA fragments, targeting sodium channel protein Nach-like (ds NlNa ), autophagy protein 5 (ds NlAup5 ), and V-type proton ATPase catalytic subunit A (ds NlvATP-A ), which were highly lethal to BPH, were selected to evaluate their effects on an important predator of BPH, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis (Hemiptera: Miridae). It showed that these three dsRNA fragments posed no risks to C. lividipennis at worst-case treatments when fed with high concentrations (10×) dsRNAs. These findings not only establish part of a risk assessment protocol for RNAi-based products on NTOs but also contribute to the development and deployment of new technologies for BPH management.