Virus-induced gene silencing(VIGS) is one of the most important methods that can quickly identify gene function,and it is a kind of post-transcriptional gene silencing phenomenon at the level of RNA.Because of its lots of benefits,such as short experimental period,simple operation method,low cost,high efficiency,fast phenotype and high throughput,it has been widely used by researchers for researching plant gene function.This paper further explains the mechanism,application,problems and prospects of VIGS technology in dicotyledons including Solanaceae,Leguminosae,Rosaceae,Cucurbitaceae,Malvaceae and Compositae,which will provide a reference for further expanding the application of VIGS.