Identification of key osmoregulation and symbiosis genes in cassava B. tabaci for the management of whiteflies using RNA interference.

Bemisia tabaci are a major threat to the production of key food crops. In Sub-Saharan Africa, whitefly affect the production of cassava, a key food security crop supporting more that 800 million people. Several management options have been developed, however, the whitefly problem has continued to escalate. New management options are required to combat the ever-increasing whitefly population in cassava growing areas. This study was therefore initiated to identify accessory essential gene target with enriched expression in either the whitefly gut or bacteriocytes. Both RNAseq analysis and constraint based metabolic modelling were applied to identify both osmoregulation and symbiosis genes to use as target in the development of RNA interference to manage the 'super abundant' whitefly population in different cassava growing areas.