摘要One of the most promising tools for the control of fungal plant diseases is spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS). In SIGS, small interfering RNA (siRNA) or double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) tar-geting essential or virulence-related pathogen genes are exogenously applied to plants and postharvest products to trigger RNA interfer-ence (RNAi) of the targeted genes, inhibiting fungal growth and disease. However, SIGS is limited by the unstable nature of RNA under environmental conditions. The use of layered double hydroxide or clay particles as carriers to deliver biologically active dsRNA, a formulation termed BioClay?, can enhance RNA durability on plants, prolonging its activity against patho-gens. Here, we demonstrate that dsRNA deliv-ered as BioClay can prolong protection against Botrytis cinerea, a major plant fungal pathogen, on tomato leaves and fruit and on mature chickpea plants. BioClay increased the pro-tection window from 1 to 3 weeks on tomato leaves and from 5 to 10 days on tomato fruits, when compared with naked dsRNA. In flowering chickpea plants, BioClay provided prolonged protection for up to 4 weeks, covering the crit-ical period of poding, whereas naked dsRNA provided limited protection. This research rep-resents a major step forward for the adoption of SIGS as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional fungicides.