CRISPR/Cas9‐based functional analysis of yellow gene in the diamondback moth, <i>Plutella xylostella</i>

Abstract The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is an economically important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide. This pest is notorious for rapid evolution of the resistance to different classes of insecticides, making it increasingly difficult to control. Genetics‐based control approaches, through manipulation of target genes, have been reported as promising supplements or alternatives to traditional methods of pest management. Here we identified a gene of pigmentation (yellow) in P. xylostella , Pxyellow , which encodes 1674 bp complementary DNA sequence with four exons and three introns. Using the clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 system, we knocked out Pxyellow , targeting two sites in Exon III, to generate 272 chimeric mutants (57% of the CRISPR‐treated individuals) with color‐changed…