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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414665
Research Project: Broadening and Strengthening the Genetic Base of Rice for Adaptation to a Changing Climate, Crop Production Systems, and Markets

Location: Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center

Title: Using major resistance genes to manage rice blast disease in the USA

Author
item Jia, Yulin

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/2024
Publication Date: 6/10/2024
Citation: Jia, Y. 2024. Using major resistance genes to manage rice blast disease in the USA. Meeting Abstract. 9th International Rice and Wheat Blast Conference, June 10-14, 2024. Panama City, Panama.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Most US rice varieties are classified as temperate japonica medium grain or tropical japonica long grain and were bred utilizing germplasm imported from tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Most tropical japonica rice is grown in the Southern USA and temperate japonica in the state of California. Rice blast disease is present in rice growing areas worldwide. The crop damage in California is minimal due to low rainfall during the growing season. In the Southern USA, rice blast disease caused a 30-50% yield reduction in the 1980s because varieties like Newbonnet were not resistant to the newly emerged virulent races, IB49 and IC17. In the early 1990s, the blast resistance gene, Pi-ta, discovered in the Vietnamese landrace Tetep, was first bred into the US variety Katy. To accelerate incorporation of the Pi-ta gene into other varieties, genetic markers were developed from portions of the Pi-ta gene. Since it was developed, Katy has been the major Pi-ta donor for incorporating blast resistant into new US rice varieties resulting in over 12 varieties being resistant to blast to date. Pi-ta is a protein with predicted nucleotide binding sites and a leucine rich region (NBS-LRD). The newly identified Ptr is a protein with predicted 4 armadillo repeats found within a short physical interval of the Pi-ta gene, near the chromosome 12 centromere. Discovery of this new class of blast resistance genes represented by Ptr, which is near Pi-ta in most US varieties, explains the observed durability of blast resistance. Strategies for using these genes in varietal development will be presented.