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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324692
Title: Identification of sheath blight resistant rice varieties from the USDA rice core collection

Author
item Jia, Yulin
item GIBBONS, ANDREW - University Of Arkansas
item Sookaserm, Tiffany

Submitted to: Rice Technical Working Group Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2016
Publication Date: 7/2/2016
Citation: Jia, Y., Gibbons, A., Sookaserm, T.B. 2016. Identification of sheath blight resistant rice varieties from the USDA rice core collection. Proc. 36th Rice Technical Working Group Meeting Proceedings, Galveston, TX. pg. 67. March 1-4, 2016. CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sheath blight (ShB), a disease caused by the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, is the most damaging rice disease in the southern USA. The absence of genetic resistance to the sheath blight fungus forces growers to use fungicides which increase total production costs. The USDA rice core collection consists of 1700 unique rice varieties representing 70% of genetic diversity of the USDA world rice collection. All rice varieties represented in the USDA core collection were evaluated for sheath blight resistance utilizing 2- liter polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) softdrink bottles as environmental chambers. This greenhouse investigation identified 52 unique rice varieties resistant to sheath blight disease. The 52 resistant rice varieties were evaluated under two independent field trials conducted at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas in 2013 and 2015, respectively. All identified varieties were planted in three-row plots (N=3) with the plots being arranged in a randomized complete block design. Lemont and Jasmine 85 were utilized as the susceptible and resistant controls, respectively. Plants were inoculated during the vegetative growth stage when first rice internode measured ½ inches. At 30 days post-inoculation, the ShB disease severity ratings of individual rice plants were visually scored using a 0 to 9 scale. Plants scored as 0 to 4 were considered to be resistant; those scored as > 4 to 9 were deemed susceptible. All disease ratings for each plot were verified three times prior to harvest. With the exception of 3 rice varieties, all previously identified ShB resistant varieties were resistant to sheath blight in both trials under field conditions. These findings suggest that the softdrink bottle method is sufficient to identify sheath blight resistant germplasm and this was confirmed with 49 germplasm lines from the USDA rice core collection.