Prospects for the application of aptamers in plant protection and crop production

In modern agriculture, there is a demand for alternative approaches to increase yields, to upgrade methods for detecting chemical contaminants, and to improve quality of phytosanitary diagnostics and the effectiveness of plant protection. One promising approach to addressing these issues is aptamer technology. Aptamers are oligonucleotide and peptide molecules capable of molecular recognition of both small inorganic and organic compounds, as well as proteins. Development of aptamers specific to the target molecule is performed in vitro using SELEX technology. Aptamer binding to the target follows principles common to antigen-antibody interaction. Due to this property, aptamers have found applications as targeted biological agents, «smart» materials, and new generation bioanalytical sensors. This review contains a brief analysis of the successes and prospects of applying aptamer technology in analytical monitoring and phytosanitary control. In particular, approaches and examples of aptamer-based test systems and sensors for detection of various compounds in natural objects, and related commercial products are discussed. Examples of aptamers application in development of “smart” fertilizers, innovative pesticides, and for engineering of plants resistant to viral diseases are also given.