Insect and plant-derived miRNAs in greenbug (Schizaphis graminum) and yellow sugarcane aphid (Sipha flava) revealed by deep sequencing.

Schizaphis graminum (green bug; GB) and Sipha flava (yellow sugarcane aphid; YSA) are two cereal aphid species with broad host ranges capable of establishing on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and several switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars. Switchgrass and sorghum are staple renewable bioenergy crops that are vulnerable to damage by aphids, therefore, identifying novel targets to control aphids has the potential to drastically improve yields and reduce losses in these bioenergy crops. Despite the wealth of genomic and transcriptomic information available from a closely related model aphid species, the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), similar genomic information, including the identification of small RNAs, is still limited for GB and YSA.