The National Science Foundation awarded Martin Egan, assistant professor of plant pathology, USD 943,941 to aid research on Magnaporthe oryzae, the fungal pathogen that causes rice blast and one of the leading threats to world food security.
The long-term aim of the research program is to acquire further knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the pathogen.
Rice blast leads to annual yield losses estimated to be large enough to feed an additional 60 million people for an entire year and is compounded by the emergence of fungicide resistance.
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More on rice blast:
The role of CGIAR Germplasm Health Units in averting endemic crop diseases: the example of rice blast in Bangladesh
Germplasm Health Units (GHUs) are institutional phytosanitary units of the CGIAR designed to facilitate bioresource transfer for their breeding programs and their genebanks. One CGIAR’s unknown success stories is the contribution of GHUs to reducing the risk of transboundary spread of pests and diseases and the transfer delays that could have impaired time-sensitive progress in plant breeding.
Integrated strategies for durable rice blast resistance in sub-Saharan Africa
First reported in sub-Saharan Africa in 1922, rice blast has become the most devastating and widespread disease of rice with yield losses of up to 100% across the continent. We review current constraints on rice production, potential technologies, and innovations for overcoming these challenges, including genetic and genomic resources, with a focus on managing rice blast disease. Breeding to achieving durable blast resistance is likely to be critical in enabling sustainable rice production in sub-Saharan Africa.
A resistant variety and a biological fungicide show promise in controlling rice blast in Cambodia
A resistant variety and a fungus used as a treatment for blast disease offer Cambodian farmers a safer disease management option.
