PLANT CELL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Plant-parasitic nematodes are persistent constraints on crop productivity because their behaviour, protected habitats and intimate relationships with host roots complicate both diagnosis and control. RNA interference offers sequence-guided suppression of nematode gene expression without requiring a conventional toxicant to act on a broad physiological target. Yet molecular specificity should not be conflated with biological control, and promising experiments have produced uneven results across species, life stages, delivery systems and scales. This critical narrative review examines research on double-stranded RNA exposure, target validation, host-induced gene silencing, artificial microRNAs, non-transgenic formulations, nanocarriers and translation to field use. Peer-reviewed experimental and methodological studies published through 14 August 2026 were considered, with seminal earlier work included to establish the mechanism. The strongest evidence concerns gene knockdown and reduced infection or reproduction in controlled plant systems, particularly root-knot and cyst nematodes. More recent soil-directed formulations for potato cyst nematodes and trunk-injected complexes for pine wood nematodes indicate that deployment beyond transgenic plants is technically possible, but do not establish general efficacy across agricultural soils. Critical barriers include uptake across nematode feeding structures, RNA degradation, stage-dependent susceptibility, inconsistent phenotypic reporting, poorly quantified exposure, limited off-target testing and the scarcity of replicated yield and durability data. A central distinction emerging from the synthesis is between sequence selectivity, delivery selectivity, life-stage accessibility and agronomic performance. These requirements are related but are not interchangeable. Future progress depends on experimentally linking confirmed target engagement with biologically meaningful crop protection, testing formulations under realistic soils and plant growth conditions, assessing non-target organisms and specifying manufacturing and resistance-management pathways. RNA interference is a credible complement to integrated nematode management, but its precision and readiness must be demonstrated for each pest–crop–delivery combination.