Effects of panicle development stage and temperature on rice panicle blast infection by Magnaporthe oryzae and visualization of its infection process

Panicle blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae (syn. Pyricularia oryzae), directly contributes to yield loss in the field. The effects of panicle development stage and temperature on panicle blast were studied and the infection process of M. oryzae in panicles was visualized. Rice panicles at different development stages from three rice cultivars were inoculated with a conidial suspension in vitro. The rice cultivar Lijiangxintuanheigu was highly susceptible to panicle blast at 5 days postinoculation (dpi) when the pulvinus distance was 15–20 cm. Nanjing 9108 was moderately susceptible to panicle blast when the pulvinus distance was 8–10 cm, but Yliangyou 800 was resistant. The effect of temperature on panicle blast was determined under 22–35 °C temperature treatments. Inoculated panicles placed at temperatures of 28 and 30 °C showed the highest lesion grade based on lesion length at 5 dpi. The infection process of M. oryzae in rice panicles was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). M. oryzae initially formed the appressorium to invade through the epidermis of rice panicles at 24 hours postinoculation (hpi). As the disease progressed, the invasive hyphae formed dense mycelial networks in the inner parenchyma cells at 60 hpi. Our results will contribute to the understanding of panicle development stage and temperature effects on panicle blast and improve resistance evaluation methods. Additionally, visualization of the infection process by CLSM and TEM are valuable methods to observe M. oryzae invasive hyphae inside rice panicle cells.     

In vitro and in vivo antifungal activities of decursin and decursinol angelate isolated from Angelica gigas against Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast

Blast is considered the most important fungal disease of rice due to its wide distribution and destructiveness under favorable conditions. Development of new effective and environmentally benign agents against the causal pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae, is of great interest. In the course of a search for natural antifungal compounds in medicinal plants, we found that the methanol extract of Angelica gigas roots showed a potent control efficacy against rice blast caused by M. oryzae. We isolated antifungal coumarins from the extract, and they were identified as decursin and decursinol angelate. Antifungal activities of these compounds, along with kasugamycin, were tested on M. oryzae in vivo and in vitro. In an in vivo assay, the three compounds effectively suppressed the development of rice blast at concentrations more than 100 μg/mL. Coumarins showed relatively weak inhibitory effect on fungal mycelial growth when compared to kasugamycin. However, they strongly inhibited M. oryzae spore germination, which was not observed in kasugamycin treatments. This is the first report demonstrating that decursinol angelate can provide control against rice blast and that the two coumarins inhibit M. oryzae spore germination. In addition, the wettable powder formulation of the crude extract of A. gigas prohibited the development of blast symptoms on rice plants more effectively than liquid concentrate formulation of kasugamin, a commercial fungicide. Based on our study, we propose that coumarin compounds as well as the A. gigas root crude extract can be used as natural, benign fungicides for controlling rice blast.     

Long‐term survival of blast pathogen in infected rice residues as major source of primary inoculum in high altitude upland ecology

Magnaporthe oryzae is the fungal plant pathogen that causes rice blast. The sources of primary inoculum and overwintering mode of the fungus remain largely unknown. The effect of rice residues on the onset of blast epidemics and the potential for survival of M. oryzae in the residues were studied in upland conditions in Madagascar. Blast disease was observed in a 3‐year field experiment in three treatments: with either infected or uninfected rice residues on the soil surface, or without rice residues. Leaf blast incidence was significantly higher in the treatment with infected rice residues than in the two other treatments at the early stages of the epidemic. In a second set of trials, the survival of M. oryzae on rice residues was monitored. Infected rice stems were placed by lots in three places: on the mulch of rice residues, under the mulch, and buried at a depth of 10 cm in the soil. Each month, samples were taken from the field and tested for sporulation. The survival of the blast fungus decreased rapidly on the stems buried in the soil but remained high for the other conditions. Sporulation of the fungus was observed on stems left on the mulch for up to 18 months. It is concluded that under field conditions, the presence of infected rice residues could initiate an epidemic of blast. The results of this study may help in designing effective management strategies for rice residues infected by M. oryzae.     

Green-odour compounds have antifungal activity against the rice blast fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnaporthe oryzae</Emphasis>

Four green-odour compounds—trans-2-hexenal, cis-3-hexenol, n-hexanal, and cis-3-hexenal—were applied (0.85 μg ml⁻¹ as vapour) to rice plants in laboratory conditions to observe their biological activity against the phytopathogenic fungus Maganporthe oryzae, which causes rice blast disease worldwide. Two compounds, trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenal, showed remarkable disease suppression efficacy (99.7% and 100% suppression, respectively), while n-hexanal had moderate (86.5%) and cis-3-hexenol had weak (20.8%) disease-suppressing effects. Pre-application and post-application of trans-2-hexenal or cis-3-hexenal had slight effects on blast incidence, suggesting that these compounds had direct effects to suppress M. oryzae infection. In fact, trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenal exhibited a growth suppression effect on M. oryzae. Interestingly, these two compounds inhibited appressorium formation at lower concentrations than the growth suppression. Studies on the hypersensitive response (HR)-like reaction and plant β-1,3-glucanase activity in rice plant confirmed that induced resistance was not the major factor involved in the disease suppression mechanism. Results of this study conclusively showed that trans-2-hexenal and cis-3-hexenal possess potent inhibitory activities against the growth and the appressorium formation of M. oryzae and could be used as antifungal agents to significantly reduce M. oryzae infections in rice.     

Investigation of rice blast development in susceptible and resistant rice cultivars using a gfp‐expressing Magnaporthe oryzae isolate

In this study, an isolate of Magnaporthe oryzae expressing the green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) was used to monitor early events in the interaction of M. oryzae with resistant rice cultivars harbouring a blast resistance (R) gene. In the resistant cultivars Saber and TeQing (Pib gene), M. oryzae spores germinated normally on the leaf surface but produced morphologically abnormal germ tubes. Germling growth and development were markedly and adversely affected in leaves of these resistant cultivars. Penetration of host cells was never seen, supporting the idea that disruption of germling development on the leaf surface might be one of the resistance mechanisms associated with Pib function. Thus, this particular R gene appeared to function in the absence of host penetration by the fungal pathogen. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of M. oryzae‐infected susceptible rice cultivars showed the dimorphic growth pattern that is typically observed during the biotrophic and necrotrophic stages of leaf colonization in susceptible cultivars. The suitability of the gfp‐expressing M. oryzae isolate for further research on R‐gene function and identification of resistant genotypes in rice germplasm collections is discussed.     

Antifungal activities of hyoscyamine and scopolamine against two major rice pathogens: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Magnaporthe oryzae</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhizoctonia solani</Emphasis>

The antifungal activities of hyoscyamine and scopolamine, major alkaloids extracted from the desert plant Hyoscyamus muticus, against two rice pathogens, Magnaporthe oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani, were studied. The minimum inhibitory concentration of hyoscyamine that resulted in distinctive inhibition (MIC₅₀) was 1 μg/ml for both fungi. Exposure to hyoscyamine caused the leakage of electrolytes from the mycelia of both fungi. Hyoscyamine (>1 μg/ml) irreversibly delayed or inhibited conidial germination and appressorium formation in M. oryzae grown on polystyrene plates. Hyoscyamine effectively inhibited the attachment of conidia to the surface of rice (Oryza sativa) leaves and inhibited appressorium formation on the leaves. A high concentration of scopolamine (1000 μg/ml) also delayed or inhibited conidial germination in M. oryzae, but conidial germination was restored after washing the conidia with water. Antifungal activity of hyoscyamine was reduced by scopolamine. Magnaporthe oryzae infection was significantly suppressed (by >95%) in leaves of intact rice plants treated with hyoscyamine (10 μg/ml). Moreover, 10 μg hyoscyamine/ml significantly reduced the disease severity index for sheath blight to ≤0.2, when compared with the disease index of control plants (>7.0). Hyoscyamine (>20 μg/ml) completely inhibited sclerotial germination and development of R. solani by delaying the initiation, maturation, and melanization of the sclerotia. These results suggest that tropane alkaloids may be useful for controlling blast and sheath blight diseases of rice and for studying the mechanisms that regulate conidial germination in M. oryzae and sclerotial germination and development in R. solani.     

Site‐directed mutagenesis of the cytochrome b gene and development of diagnostic methods for identifying QoI resistance of rice blast fungus

BACKGROUND: It is possible that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (G143A mutation) in the cytochrome b gene could confer resistance to quinone outside inhibiting (QoI) fungicides (strobilurins) in rice blast fungus because this mutation caused a high level of resistance to fungicides such as azoxystrobin in Pyricularia grisea Sacc. and other fungal plant pathogens. The aim of this study was to survey Magnaporthe oryzae B Couch sp. nov. isolates in Japan for resistance to QoIs, and to try to develop molecular detection methods for QoI resistance. RESULTS: A survey on the QoI resistance among M. oryzae isolates from rice was conducted in Japan. A total of 813 single‐spore isolates of M. oryzae were tested for their sensitivity to azoxystrobin using a mycelial growth test on PDA. QoI fungicide resistance was not found among these isolates. The introduction of G143A mutation into a plasmid containing the cytochrome b gene sequence of rice blast fungus was achieved by site‐directed mutagenesis. Molecular diagnostic methods were developed for identifying QoI resistance in rice blast fungus using the plasmid construct. CONCLUSION: As the management of rice blast disease is often dependent on chemicals, the rational design of control programmes requires a proper understanding of the fungicide resistance phenomenon in field populations of the pathogen. Mutation of the cytochrome b gene of rice blast fungus would be specifically detected from diseased leaves and seeds using the molecular methods developed in this study. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

黑龙江省水稻种质抗瘟性及稻瘟病菌致病性分析

为明确黑龙江省水稻种质抗性及稻瘟病菌的致病性,以黑龙江省8个水稻品种、24个单基因系作为供试材料,120株稻瘟病菌株作为接种体,采用喷雾接种法测定了各供试水稻的抗瘟性及稻瘟病菌的致病性。结果表明,水稻品种对2010年和2011年菌株的抗性频率分别在31.67%~68.33%和21.67%~55.00%之间,2010年最好的抗性品种为松粳12,2011年最好的抗性品种为五优稻4和东农425;松粳12东农425组合联合抗病性最好。水稻单基因系对2010年和2011年菌株的抗性频率分别在10.00%~90.00%和5.00%~86.67%之间,抗性最好的单基因系分别为IRBLzt-T(Pi-zt)和IRBLz5-CA(Pi-z5);松粳12、东农425和龙粳22的基因聚合效果最好。2010年和2011年菌株对抗瘟基因群的致病率分别在8.33%~95.83%和25.00%~95.83%之间;无毒基因总出现频率分别为461和412次。研究表明,水稻种质抗性受菌株致病性影响较大,但高抗种质相对稳定,基因聚合方式更适宜当地品种抗性改良。     

水直播条件下黑龙江省不同稻区稻瘟病菌致病性分析

为明确水直播条件下黑龙江省不同稻区稻瘟病菌Magnaporthe oryzae的致病性分化情况,以24个抗瘟单基因系品种为寄主,来源于2017—2018年黑龙江省水直播稻田的242株稻瘟病菌菌株为接种体,采用离体划伤方法接种,记录病斑反应型,计算有效致病菌株率和抗性频率,并进行聚类分析。结果显示,在水直播条件下,2017年,黑龙江省南部和中东部稻区稻瘟病菌菌株对抗瘟单基因系品种的有效致病菌株率介于8.33%~95.83%和20.83%~95.83%之间,无毒基因出现频率分别为575次和622次;2018年,南部和中东部稻区稻瘟病菌菌株对鉴别体系的有效致病菌株率介于29.17%~95.83%和20.83%~91.67%之间,无毒基因出现频率分别为536次和571次。2017年,黑龙江省南部和中东部稻区稻瘟病菌菌株的致病性相似系数介于0.15~1.00和0.14~1.00之间,以致病性相似系数0.40为阈值,可将菌株分别划分为5个类群和6个类群;2018年,南部和中东部稻区菌株的致病性相似系数介于0.15~0.93和0.26~1.00之间,以致病性相似系数0.40为阈值,可将菌株分别划分为5个类群和4个类群。2017年,抗瘟单基因系品种对黑龙江省南部和中东部稻区稻瘟病菌菌株的抗性频率介于11.29%~88.71%和10.77%~86.15%之间,其中抗瘟单基因系品种IRBL9-W（Pi-9）和IRBLz5-CA（Pi-z5）抗性表现最好;2018年,抗瘟单基因系品种对南部和中东部稻区菌株的抗性频率介于10.34%~82.67%和15.79%~85.96%之间,其中抗瘟单基因系品种IRBL9-W（Pi-9）和IRBLz5-CA（Pi-z5）抗性表现最好。表明水直播条件下黑龙江省稻瘟病菌致病性分化剧烈,稻瘟病菌整体致病力较强,但仍有部分水稻种质抗性较好且相对稳定,基因聚合后抗性会得到进一步提升。     

Management of rice blast (Pyricularia oryzae): implications of alternative hosts

Rice blast (Pyricularia oryzae) has become a serious disease on commercial rice (Oryza sativa) crops in northern Australia and is present there on wild rice (O. australiensis). Characterisation of the host range of P. oryzae is fundamental to both reducing disease spread and to preventing development of epidemics via better management of Poaceae inoculum reservoirs in Australia. Studies on response of three different wild O. australiensis sources toward four isolates of P. oryzae showed all genotypes very susceptible to three isolates [WAC13466 (race IA-1), BRIP53376 (race IB-3), NT2014a (race unknown)], but resistant to isolate BRIP39772 (race IA-3). Studies to investigate levels of blast disease development following inoculation on a range of Poaceae hosts showed both P. oryzae isolates (WAC13466, BRIP53376) were highly virulent on barley (disease index, DI?=?100%), and on Phalaris and O. australiensis (DI?=?70%). However, isolate BRIP53376 showed a significantly higher level of aggressiveness (DI ~80%) on ryegrass, wild oat and rice. Of the two wheat cultivars tested, only one cultivar showed disease and only from WAC13466 (DI ~30%). Sweet corn and goosegrass were also susceptible to both blast isolates, but DI was <50%. That P. oryzae was virulent across these diverse Poaceae hosts, highlights, for Australia, the possibility for these species in, first, harbouring P. oryzae isolates highly virulent to commercial rice, second, fostering spread of rice-attacking P. oryzae strains into regions currently free of rice blast, and third, potential for these alternative host species to encourage development of more virulent host-specific strains of P. oryzae. The current study is an important step towards facilitating improved crop protection in the medium and long term from reducing P. oryzae disease epidemics via a better understanding and management of inoculum reservoirs in Australia.

     

云南省稻瘟病菌群体的致病性分析及交配型分布

为明确云南省不同稻区稻瘟病菌Magnaporthe oryzae的毒性频率及交配型分布,利用2007—2013年分离自云南省不同稻区的112株稻瘟病菌单孢菌株,对23个持有不同抗性基因的单基因系和持有Pi57(t)的水稻渗入系IL-E1454进行致病性测定。结果表明,稻瘟病菌对不同抗病基因的毒性频率存在很大差异,分离自粳稻区的稻瘟病菌菌株对持有Piz-t、Pi5、Pi9、Pi20和Pi57(t)这5个水稻品系的毒性频率分别为14.29%、5.36%、5.51%、5.36%和0;分离自籼稻区的稻瘟病菌菌株对持有Pik-h、Piz、Pita、Piz-5、Pita-2、Pi5、Pi7和Pi9这8个水稻品系的毒性频率分别为18.25%、9.13%、9.64%、7.50%、15.72%、0、13.05%和0;分离自陆稻区的稻瘟病菌菌株菌株对持有Pik-h、Pib、Pish、Pi1、Pi5、Pi9、Pi11和Pi57(t)这8个水稻品系的毒性频率分别为6.67%、3.33%、13.79%、13.33%、7.69%、6.67%、0和3.23%;交配型测定结果显示,陆稻区菌株可交配率为100.00%,...     

Genetic distribution of the avirulence gene AVRPiz-t in Thai rice blast isolates and their pathogenicity to the broad-spectrum resistant rice variety Toride 1

Rice blast disease, caused by the filamentous fungus Pyricularia oryzae, is one of the most destructive diseases in rice worldwide. Breeding of resistant rice cultivars remains a cost-effective and environment-friendly means for controlling blast disease, but the resistance tends to break down over time because of the pathogen's rapid adaptation. In this study, AVRPiz-t gene sequences of 46 rice blast isolates were evaluated using a Southern blot analysis. The AVRPiz-t gene was present in 24 of 46 (52.2%) rice blast isolates. The pathogenicity assay showed that all blast isolates were avirulent against Japanese rice cv. Toride 1, which carries several rice blast resistance genes including Piz-t, Pii, Pi37, and Pi-ta. Screening for the Piz-t gene in Thai rice germplasm revealed that less than 20% of rice varieties harbour the Piz-t gene. Therefore, the Toride 1 rice variety could serve as an effective donor of rice blast resistance to be used in rice breeding programmes in Thailand. This study provides evidence for co-evolution between the rice blast resistance gene Piz-t and the rice blast fungal avirulence gene AVRPiz-t. Understanding this relationship will facilitate the sustainable development of breeding for rice blast resistance in the future.     

云南省水稻稻瘟病菌无毒基因AVR-Pia变异及水稻抗性基因Pia的有效性

为进一步了解田间稻瘟病菌Magnaporthe oryzae群体中AVR-Pia基因的分布及变异,利用水稻单基因系IRBLa-C水稻品种对自云南省13个市(州)采集分离得到的471株稻瘟病菌菌株进行抗性基因Pia有效性测定;利用无毒基因AVR-Pia特异性标记对471株稻瘟病菌菌株进行PCR检测和测序,并分析稻瘟病菌群体中无毒基因AVR-Pia的分布及DNA结构变异;利用有效性结果和PCR检测结果对471株菌株进行反应型划分,筛选鉴定菌株;利用鉴定菌株对云南省112份地方稻种进行Pia基因鉴定。结果表明,在471株稻瘟病菌菌株中,对含有Pia基因的水稻单基因系IRBLa-C表现为抗病和感病的菌株数分别为139株和332株,所占比例分别为29.5%和70.5%;在471株稻瘟病菌菌株中,分别有244株和227株菌株含有无毒基因AVR-Pia和不含有无毒基因AVR-Pia,所占比例分别为51.8%和48.2%,无毒基因AVR-Pia主要为完全缺失变异;在471株稻瘟病菌菌株中,A-和V+反应型菌株数分别为56株和161株,共217株,占总菌株数的46.1%,在13个市(州)稻瘟病菌群体中,A-和V+反应型菌株所占比例差异较大,其中在普洱市、红河哈尼族彝族自治州、昭通市、玉溪市4个市(州)的比例较大,分别为77.8%、57.1%、52.1%和50.0%;在112份云南省地方稻种质资源中,有20份地方稻品种含有抗性基因Pia,主要分布在9个市(州)中。表明云南省13个市(州)绝大部分水稻产区水稻Pia基因已丧抗性,含Pia基因的水稻种质在云南省分布较广。     

Baseline sensitivity of natural populations and resistance of mutants of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae to a novel bactericide,zinc thiazole

During 2009–2010, a total of 323 isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae were obtained from rice with symptoms of bacterial leaf blight (BLB) in four provinces (Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui and Hubei) in China. These isolates were tested for baseline sensitivity to zinc thiazole, a novel bactericide with strong antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas. The sampled pathogenic population had similar sensitivity to zinc thiazole (0·1–16·8 mg L^?1) in all four regions and over the whole two‐year study period. The baseline sensitivity was distributed as a unimodal curve with a mean EC₅₀ value of 6·79 ± 1·61 mg L^?1. The risk of mutation to resistance of zinc thiazole in X. oryzae pv. oryzae was further evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Twelve zinc thiazole‐resistant mutants were obtained through ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, culturing on zinc thiazole‐amended nutrient agar (NA) plates, and culturing on zinc thiazole‐treated rice plants. These zinc thiazole‐resistant mutants had resistance factors (RF = EC₅₀ value of a mutant / EC₅₀ value of the wildtype parent of this mutant) of 12·4 to 186·1 with a mean RF value of 44·1. Mutants obtained via UV irradiation, culturing on NA plates and culturing on rice plants had mean RF values of 51·8, 24·5 and 14·4, respectively. All mutants showed decreases in resistance to zinc thiazole after 20 successive transfers on bactericide‐free media or 10 successive inoculation–reisolations on bactericide‐free rice plants. No significant difference was found in bacterial growth and sensitivity to bismerthiazol between zinc thiazole‐resistant mutants and their parents. However, a significant decrease was observed in the pathogenicity of zinc thiazole‐resistant mutants compared with their parents, especially for mutants obtained via UV irradiation.     

Management of grain discoloration of rice with solvent-free EC formulations of neem and pungam oils

Neem and pungam oil-based emulsifiable concentrate (EC) formulations developed at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University were evaluated for their efficacy to inhibit the mycelial growth of the fungiHelminthosporium oryzae and Pyricularia oryzae causing grain discoloration on rice underin vitro conditions. All three formulations,viz., neem oil 60 EC (acetic acid), neem oil 60 EC (citric acid) and neem oil + pungam oil 60 EC (citric acid), inhibited mycelial growth of the pathogens; they were effective even after 9 months of storage. These formulations effectively controlled the grain discoloration on rice.     

Population structure,genetic diversity,and sexual state of the rice brown spot pathogen Bipolaris oryzae from three Asian countries

Bipolaris oryzae causes brown spot in rice (Oryza sativa) inflicting substantial grain yield losses worldwide. Knowledge of the population structure, genetic diversity and sexual recombination of the fungal pathogen can help to implement effective disease management strategies. In this study, B. oryzae isolates sampled from Iran, the Philippines and Japan were analysed with 12 simple‐sequence repeat (SSR) markers, newly developed from the genome sequence of the fungus. Among the 288 B. oryzae isolates genotyped, 278 unique haplotypes were identified. High genotype numbers (richness) with even distribution (evenness) were found within the collection sites. Both mating types, MAT1‐1 and MAT1‐2, were present in each collection area, and the sexual state was induced under controlled conditions with production of viable ascospores. However, the tests of linkage disequilibrium rejected of the hypothesis of random mating. Discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed that the B. oryzae collection formed three clusters, each consisting of isolates from different collection sites. Analysis of molecular variance (amova ) showed that genetic variation among clusters was 18.7%, with the rest of the variation distributed within clusters (R_ST = 0.187, P < 0.001). Statistically significant pairwise genetic differentiation was found between the clusters. These results show that Asian B. oryzae isolates are genetically diverse, and, overall, distributed in three groups. These findings will be helpful in managing the disease and guide the use of representative isolates needed for selection of resistant rice varieties.     

Mining of rice blast resistance gene Pi54 shows effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on phenotypic expression of the alleles

The rice blast resistance gene Pi54 (formerly Pi-k ^h ) isolated from indica rice line Tetep confers broad spectrum resistance to different strains of Magnaporthe oryzae in India. In this study, we performed PCR based allele mining for blast resistance gene Pi54 from six cultivated rice lines and eight wild rice species to understand its structural variation and its impact on the phenotypes. Sequence analysis indicates presence of more variation between cultivated and wild species (35–90 %) than variation found among cultivated species (1–20 %). Structural analysis of alleles showed presence of variable number of Open Reading Frames (0–2) principally having point mutations in the leucine rich repeats (LRR) regions. The Ka/Ks ratio of LRR region was >1, which shows the effect of selection pressure at this domain. The Pi54 alleles have 142 polymorphic sites with average nucleotide diversity of 0.04522. The K_a/K_s ratio of coding region ranged from 0 to >1 and Tajima’s D test showed negative as well as Darwinian selection within the alleles, which corresponded well with their phenotypic reaction to M. oryzae. The results obtained in this study shows divergent nature of Pi54 allele in wild species and land races of rice. The resistance alleles identified in this study can be used in effective management of rice blast disease through gene pyramiding.     

Magnaporthe oryzae conidia on basal wheat leaves as a potential source of wheat blast inoculum

Wheat blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum causes significant losses on wheat during outbreak years in several South American countries. Despite reports of wheat blast leaf lesions on some wheat cultivars, the importance of inoculum originating from leaves in severely affected commercial fields is disputed. It is generally considered that leaf lesions and/or sporulation on leaves do not usually appear before the occurrence of spike blast in wheat. The purpose of this study was to (i) determine the occurrence of wheat blast on basal leaves, (ii) estimate the number of conidia produced on these leaves, and (iii) determine the impact of current fungicide application practices on inoculum produced from sporulating lesions on basal wheat leaves. Inoculations at the three‐leaf stage showed that certain cultivar and isolate combinations caused more disease on old wheat leaves than young expanding leaves. Under optimum conditions, M. oryzae had the potential to produce tens to hundreds of thousands of conidia on small amounts of wheat basal leaves. A mean of 1 669 000 conidia were produced on 1 g dry basal leaves of a highly susceptible cultivar under optimum conditions for sporulation. Conidia production on leaves coincided with spike emergence under both greenhouse and field conditions. When field studies were conducted under natural epidemic conditions, foliar fungicide applications reduced the amount of M. oryzae conidia on basal leaves by 62–77% compared to non‐sprayed controls. An earlier application of foliar fungicides might reduce inoculum if conidia from basal leaves contribute to wheat spike blast development.     

Involvement of OsNPR1/NH1 in rice basal resistance to blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

Rice blast disease, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major threat to worldwide rice production. Plant basal resistance is activated by virulent pathogens in susceptible host plants. OsNPR1/NH1, a rice homolog of NPR1 that is the key regulator of systemic acquired resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana, was shown to be involved in the resistance of rice to bacterial blight disease caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and benzothiadiazole (BTH)-induced blast resistance. However, the role of OsNPR1/NH1 in rice basal resistance to blast fungus M. oryzae remains uncertain. In this study, the OsNPR1 gene was isolated and identified from rice cultivar Gui99. Transgenic Gui99 rice plants harbouring OsNPR1-RNAi were generated, and the OsNPR1-RNAi plants were significantly more susceptible to M. oryzae infection. Northern hybridization analysis showed that the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes, such as PR-1a, PBZ1, CHI, GLU, and PAL, was significantly suppressed in the OsNPR1-RNAi plants. Consistently, overexpression of OsNPR1 in rice cultivars Gui99 and TP309 conferred significantly enhanced resistance to M. oryzae and increased expression of the above-mentioned PR genes. These results revealed that OsNPR1 is involved in rice basal resistance to the blast pathogen M. oryzae, thus providing new insights into the role of OsNPR1 in rice disease resistance.