Induction of RNA interference enables to downregulate the expression of particular genes to boost abiotic stress tolerance. In this proposal we will investigate how dsRNA delivery in plant cells and plant tissues can be optimized using protein and peptide carriers coupled to dsRNA. Furthermore we will study in detail the uptake of dsRNA, its fate in the plant cell or tissue, and optimize the conditions for targeting of gene down-regulation, aiming towards plants with improved tolerance to abiotic stresses.