Green bio specialist company Zenolution announced on the 24th that it has applied for a domestic patent for a crop protection composition based on RNA interference (RNAi) targeting Clarireedia jacksonii, the pathogen that causes dollar spot disease, a turfgrass disease.
This technology is characterized by bioinformatics-based selection of key genes of pathogenic fungi, designing and synthesizing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) corresponding to the genes, and verifying the control effect through infection experiments. RNAi technology is gaining attention as an eco-friendly alternative that can reduce problems such as resistance to chemical pesticides, environmental pollution, and human harm by selectively blocking the expression of essential genes of pathogens.
Coinagenarian blight is a representative disease that causes serious damage to golf courses and landscape turfgrass. If left untreated, damage to the turfgrass can spread by up to 90%, making it one of the turfgrass diseases that causes the greatest economic loss worldwide.
According to market research firm Mordor Intelligence, the global turfgrass protection market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% from $8.7 billion in 2025 to $12.4 billion in 2030. In particular, with the expansion of demand for golf courses and the growth of the high-end landscaping market, including in Korea, the demand for environmentally friendly biological control solutions is also increasing.
This year, Genolution is accelerating the acquisition of RNAi-based crop protection technology. In April, it applied for a patent for an RNAi composition for Nosemosis, which damages honeybees, and in June, it applied for a technology targeting TSWV (Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus), which affects major vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes. Including this technology to respond to pennywort, Genolution is building a crop protection pipeline that encompasses insects, viruses, and pathogenic fungi.
A company official said, “We plan to strengthen our domestic and international cooperation and commercialization strategy centered on RNAi-based crop protection platform technology.”
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