b'Calantha targets Colorado potato beetles, a destructive insect pest in potato crops.PHOTO: GREENLIGHT BIOSCIENCESA new way to fightColorado potato beetlesThe first sprayable insecticide based on dsRNA technology has been approved in the U.S. and could be coming soon to Canada.BY: MARK HALSALLA NEW WEAPON COULD soon be available to assist battle- Calantha uses RNA interference as its mode of action against weary potato farmers in Canada in their relentless war against theColorado potato beetles. Its unique active ingredient, called Colorado potato beetle (CPB). ledprona, is so new that a brand-new insecticide category, Group Its called Calantha, a foliar applied, contact biopesticide that37, was created for it in 2023 by the the Insecticide Resistance utilizes a ribonucleic acid (RNA) technology that has just beenAction Committee, a global public-private technical advisory group approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)focused on resistance management.south of the border.GreenLight Bio has numerous other RNA-based products in the The products maker, GreenLight Biosciences based in Medford,pipeline, including one that protects honeybees from the Varroa Massachusetts, is also seeking regulatory approval for Calantha indestructive mite, the nemesis of beekeepers worldwide. Canada and hopes to introduce it to potato producers here in theMark Singleton, chief commercial officer and general manager not-too-distant future.of plant health at GreenLight Biosciences, discussed Calantha in an In approving the biopesticide for CPB control in potatoes ininterview with Spud Smart.January, the EPA described Calantha as the worlds first sprayableHe talked about how Calantha will be first to market in the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) pesticide allowed for commercialdsRNA biopesticides space this year, with several states already use on crops. approving it for use in potatoes. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, In a press release, GreenLight Biosciences CEO Andrey ZarurGreenLight Bio plans to introduce the biopesticide to the European called the registration of Calantha not just a milestone for ourUnion and also Ukraine, and has submitted it for regulatory company, but a quantum leap for farmers, our food system andapproval in those jurisdictions. security, and people. The way the technology works is that the dsRNA in Calantha 42SPUDSMART.COMSpring 2024'