IOT BASED MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE STUDIES IN RICE - STRATEGY AND CHALLENGES

Rice production is constrained by diseases of fungal, bacterial and viral origin. The Internet of Things (IoT) – network of interconnected devices - is an application for disease related uses, collection of data, processing for testing and monitoring. This review article aims about how IoT can track and allows disease resistance studies in in Oryza species. Among them Xanthomonas oryzae, Magnaporthe grisea, RYMV (Rice yellow mottle virus), and brown planthopper causes the high yield losses. Disease resistance genes are identified and they are screened by the SSR (simple sequence repeats), RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphisms) analysis.

Climate change favours connectivity between virus-bearing pest and rice cultivations in sub-Saharan Africa, depressing local economies

Aims Rice is a staple food for many countries, being fundamental for a large part of the worlds’ population. In sub-Saharan Africa, its importance is currently high and is likely to become even more relevant, considering that the number of people and the per-capita consumption are both predicted to increase. The flea beetles belonging to the Chaetocnema pulla species group (pulla group), a harmful rice pest, are an important vector of the Rice Yellow Mottle Virus, a disease which leads even to 80–100% yield losses in rice production. We present a continental-scale study aiming at: (1) locating current and future suitable territories for both pulla group and rice; (2) identifying areas where rice cultivations may occur without suffering the presence of pulla group using an Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) approach; (3) estimating current and future connectivity among pulla group populations and areas predicted to host rice cultivations, based on the most recent land-use estimates for future agricultural trends; (4) proposing a new connectivity index called “Pest Aggression Index” (PAI) to measure the agricultural susceptibility to the potential future invasions of pests and disease; (5) quantifying losses in terms of production when rice cultivations co‐occur with the pulla group and identifying the SSA countries which, in the future inferred scenarios, will potentially suffer the greatest losses. Location Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods Since the ongoing climate and land-use changes affect species’ distributions, we first assess the impact of these changes through a spatially-jackknifed Maxent-based Ecological Niche Modelling in GIS environment, for both the pulla group and rice, in two climatic/socioeconomic future scenarios (SSP_2.45 and 3.70). We then assess the connectivity potential of the pulla group populations towards rice cultivations, for both current and future predictions, through a circuit theory-based approach (Circuitscape implemented in Julia language). We finally measure the rice production and GPD loss per country through the spatial index named “Pest Aggression Index”, based on the inferred connectivity magnitude. Results The most considerable losses in rice production are observed for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Madagascar in all future scenarios (2030, 2050, 2070). The future economic cost, calculated as USD lost from rice losses/country’s GDP results are high for Central African Republic (−0.6% in SSP_2.45 and −3.0% in SSP_3.70) and Guinea–Bissau (−0.4% in SSP_2.45 and −0.68% in SSP_3.70), with relevant losses also obtained for other countries. Main conclusions Since our results are spatially explicit and focused on each country, we encourage careful land-use planning. Our findings could support best practices to avoid the future settlement of new cultivations in territories where rice would be attacked by pulla group and the virus, bringing economic and biodiversity losses.

Resistance of Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima Genotypes to RBe24 Isolate of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus in Benin and Effects of Silicon on Host Response

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is the most harmful virus that affects irrigated and lowland rice in Africa. The RBe24 isolate of the virus is the most pathogenic strain in Benin. A total of 79 genotypes including susceptible IR64 (Oryza sativa) and the resistant TOG5681 (O. glaberrima) as checks were screened for their reactions to RBe24 isolate of RYMV and the effects of silicon on the response of host plants to the virus investigated. The experiment was a three-factor factorial consisting of genotypes, inoculation level (inoculated vs. non-inoculated), and silicon dose (0, 5, and 10 g/plant) applied as CaSiO3 with two replications and carried out twice in the screen house. Significant differences were observed among the rice genotypes. Fifteen highly resistant and eight resistant genotypes were identified, and these were mainly O. glaberrima. Silicon application did not affect disease incidence and severity at 21 and 42 days after inoculation (DAI); it, however, significantly increased plant height of inoculated (3.6% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 6.3% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and non-inoculated (1.9% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 4.9% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) plants at 42 DAI, with a reduction in the number of tillers (12.3% for both 5 and 10 g CaSiO3/plant) and leaves (26.8% for 5 g CaSiO3/plant and 28% for 10 g CaSiO3/plant) under both inoculation treatments. Our results confirm O. glaberrima germplasm as an important source of resistance to RYMV, and critical in developing a comprehensive strategy for the control of RYMV in West Africa.

Serological, molecular and phylogenetic analysis of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) isolates collected in Southern-Benin

The rice yellow mottle is the best known viral disease of rice in Africa. It causes significant economic losses in farmer’s fields. The serological properties of Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) isolates, collected in Southern Benin, were assessed by immunological tests with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (Pabs and MAbs). The isolates CP (Capsid protein) portions, obtained by RT-PCR, were sequenced and their amino-acids sequences were analyzed and used for phylogenetic analysis. Three different RYMV pathogenic groups, including three resistance breaking (RB) isolates (Be20, Be21 and Be27) which over came allele rymv1-5gene, were identified. Two serotypes Ser1/strain S1 and Ser2/ strain S2 were also distinguished. The molecular properties of the isolates CP gene and the phylogenetic characteristics indicated that the Southern Benin RYMV strain is heterogeneous. The strain S1-Benin linked to the West Central African lineage(S1-WCA) is related to strain from Togo and Niger, whereas, the strain S2 Benin is the stumps of the West African lineage (S1-WA) and is related to Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast RYMV strains. These results reported the virus pathogenicity level and showed the relationships between RYMV strains in all Dahomey gap countries and in West and Central Africa. Keywords: serotypes, RYMV strains, RB isolates and phylogenetic analysis

Insights Into Natural Genetic Resistance to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus and Implications on Breeding for Durable Resistance

Rice is the main food crop for people in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Since 1982, there has been a significant increase in the demand for rice in SSA, and its growing importance is reflected in the national strategic food security plans of several countries in the region. However, several abiotic and biotic factors undermine efforts to meet this demand. Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) caused by Solemoviridae is a major biotic factor affecting rice production and continues to be an important pathogen in SSA. To date, six pathogenic strains have been reported. RYMV infects rice plants through wounds and rice feeding vectors. Once inside the plant cells, viral genome-linked protein is required to bind to the rice translation initiation factor [eIF(iso)4G1] for a compatible interaction. The development of resistant cultivars that can interrupt this interaction is the most effective method to manage this disease. Three resistance genes are recognized to limit RYMV virulence in rice, some of which have nonsynonymous single mutations or short deletions in the core domain of eIF(iso)4G1 that impair viral host interaction. However, deployment of these resistance genes using conventional methods has proved slow and tedious. Molecular approaches are expected to be an alternative to facilitate gene introgression and/or pyramiding and rapid deployment of these resistance genes into elite cultivars. In this review, we summarize the knowledge on molecular genetics of RYMV-rice interaction, with emphasis on host plant resistance. In addition, we provide strategies for sustainable utilization of the novel resistant sources. This knowledge is expected to guide breeding programs in the development and deployment of RYMV resistant rice varieties.

Irrigated and Rain-Fed Lowland Rice Breeding in Uganda: A Review

Since introduction of rice into Uganda in 1904, improvement of the irrigated and rain-fed lowland types was undertaken to address a number of production and quality constraints in three consecutive and overlapping phases. The initial phase was achieved through evaluation of introduction, selection of promising lines and subsequent release of the selected lines for production by the farmers. In the second phase, genetic potential of traits and characteristics of interest were analyzed and used to guide selection of suitable parents for hybridization and the third phase employed genotyping approach in screening and selection of the parental lines and the segregating populations to enhance the breeding efficiency for the traits of importance. Simultaneously, the key production constraints addressed included resistance to rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV), rice blast, bacterial leaf blight and narrow leaf spot diseases as well as submergence tolerance and cold tolerance. The quality traits considered for the improvement alongside the grain yield parameters were the grain aroma, amylose content, shape and size. These interventions have resulted into release and wide adoption of seven rice varieties in Uganda besides several breeding lines which have informally diffused into different major rice production agro-ecology. Subsequently, it can be concluded that a substantially strong and functional breeding platform for rice in Uganda has been established.

Variation among Tanzania Rice Germplasm Collections Based on Agronomic Traits and Resistance to Rice Yellow Mottle Virus

Rice (Oryza species) is a commercial crop worldwide. Across Africa, the potential yield and quality of rice is diminished by a lack of high performance, locally adapted varieties, and the impact of rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV). The objective of this study was to assess the performance of a diverse collection of rice germplasm for RYMV resistance and agronomic traits, and to select promising lines for breeding for Tanzanian conditions. Fifty-four rice genotypes were field evaluated in two important rice production sites (Ifakara and Mkindo) in Tanzania, which are recognized as RYMV hotspots, using a 6 × 9 alpha lattice design with two replications. There was significant (p < 0.05) genotypic variation for agronomic traits and RYMV susceptibility in the tested germplasm. Seven genotypes with moderate to high RYMV resistance were identified, including Salama M-57, SSD1, IRAT 256, Salama M-55, Mwangaza, Lunyuki, and Salama M-19, which were identified as new sources of resistance genes. Positive and significant correlations were detected between grain yield and number of panicles per plant (NPP), panicle length (PL), number of grains per panicle (NGP), percentage-filled grains (PFG), and thousand-grain weight (TGW), which are useful traits for simultaneous selection for rice yield improvement. A principal component analysis allocated five principal components, accounting for 79.88% of the total variation present in the assessed germplasm collection. Traits that contributed most to variability included NPP, number of tillers/plant (NT), PL, grain yield (GY), and days to 50% flowering (DFL). The genotypes Rangimbili, Gigante, and SARO possess complementary agronomic traits and RYMV resistance, and can be recommended for further evaluation, genetic analysis, and breeding.

Determining the Combining Ability and Gene Action for Rice Yellow Mottle Virus Disease Resistance and Agronomic Traits in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Selecting genetically diverse and complementary parental lines and superior crosses are pre-requisites in developing improved cultivars. The objectives of this study were to determine the combining ability effects and gene action conditioning rice yellow mottle virus disease (RYMVD) resistance and agronomic traits in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Ten parental lines and their 45 F2 progenies were field evaluated in three locations using a 5 × 11 alpha lattice design with two replications. The genotype × site interaction effects were significant (p < 0.05) for the number of tillers (NT), number of panicles per plant (NPP), number of grains per panicle (NGP), percentage of filled grains (PFG), thousand grain weight (TGW), RYMVD resistance and grain yield (GY). The analysis of general and specific combining ability (GCA and SCA) indicated involvement of both additive and non-additive gene action governing inheritance of traits. High GCA/SCA ratio estimate revealed additive genetic effect was predominant. Parental lines Mwangaza, Lunyuki, Salama M-57, Salama M-19, IRAT 256 and Salama M-55, which had negative GCA effects for RYMVD, and families such as SARO 5 × Salama M-55, IRAT 245 × Rangimbili, Rangimbili × Gigante and Rangimbili × Mwangaza, which had negative SCA effects for RYMVD, were selected for RYMV resistance breeding. The crosses Rangimbili × Gigante, Gigante × Salama M-19 and Rangimbili × Salama M-55 were selected due to their desirable SCA effects for GY. The predominance of additive gene effects for agronomic traits and RYMVD resistance in the present breeding populations suggested that rice improvement could be achieved through gene introgression using recurrent selection.