Rice blast, caused by the pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, is a highly destructive disease of rice that leads to significant reductions in crop yield each year and poses a serious threat to rice production worldwide. Utilizing R genes to develop resistant varieties continues to be the most cost-effective and efficient approach for managing rice blast. Molecular screening of important blast resistance genes of rice and their allelic diversity were assessed in forty eight wild and local rice genotypes of Bangladesh using ten previously synthesized gene-based SSR markers. A varying range between 18.7% to 87.5% was seen in the genetic frequencies of ten key blast resistance genes. Fourteen genotypes possessed maximum eight blast resistance genes while, nine of the genotypes had seven blast resistance genes. Nine genotypes contained six blast resistance genes and five genotypes had a minimum of two blast resistance genes. At least five positive pieces of the predicted product size were occupied by thirty-five genotypes, among total forty eight genotypes. These findings are important for identifying and incorporating functional resistance genes from Bangladeshi local germplasms into the elite cultivars by using marker-assisted selection and providing better resistance to blast. Marker analysis of resistant and susceptible genotypes using ten RAPD showed that, markers OPA 5, OPF 9 and OPH 18 clearly differentiate resistant genotypes BAU dhan-3 from susceptible genotypes BRRI dhan 28 and BRRI dhan 29 indicating the potentiality of these markers to identify blast resistant rice genotypes and use in marker assisted breeding (MAB) to develop blast resistant high yielding rice varieties in Bangladesh.

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• Genetic diversity and identification of blast resistance genes through SSR markers in Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces
  Sumi Saha, Md Mamunur Rashid, Rabeya Khatun, Md Sams-Al Safin, Sohana Jui, Mst Tanjina Shahanaj Turin, Md Mamunur Rashid, Md Arifuzzaman
  Ecological Genetics and Genomics.2026; 39: 100481.     CrossRef

A total of 857 rice breed lines were used to evaluate rice blast resistance. Frequency of leaf spot index was skewed to the right of the 1-9 scale in bar plot, with a score of 7 showing the highest frequency. The average spot index score of 857 breed lines was 5.33. Associations showing higher than the threshold of ‒log10(P) = 5.17 were detected as significant associations. Significantly associated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers located within ± 250 kb on the lead SNP position was designated to one QTL locus of lead SNP markers. Five association loci were detected. Two associated QTLs detected on Chr. 4 were designated as qRB4.1 and qRB422, explaining 17.8% and 14.3% of total phenotypic variations, respectively. Associated QTLs detected on Chr. 1, 11, and 12 (one each) designated as qRB1, qRB11 and qRB12 explained 44.6%, 9.09%, and 13.7% of total phenotypic variations, respectively. We compared previously reported QTLs. The location of qRB4.2 was overlapped with the previously reported QTL for blast field resistance. The location of qRB12 was also overlapped with the field resistance leaf blast. The other one, qRB4.1, was overlapped with bacterial blight resistance.

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• Genome-Wide Association Study of Body Conformation Traits in Tashi Goats (Capra hircus)
  Rong Yang, Di Zhou, Xiaoshan Tan, Zhonghai Zhao, Yanli Lv, Xingzhou Tian, Liqun Ren, Yan Wang, Jun Li, Yongju Zhao, Jipan Zhang
  Animals.2024; 14(8): 1145.     CrossRef
• Genome-Wide Association Study of Submergence Tolerance in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
  Seong-Gyu Jang, Backki Kim, Yongchul Kim, Soon-Wook Kwon
  Plant Breeding and Biotechnology.2023; 11(1): 25.     CrossRef

Pathogen attack and abiotic stress affect grain yields in rice fields worldwide. Rice leaf blast is caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, whereas rice leaf blight is caused by the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). Rice leaf blast and blight, the two most destructive diseases in rice, result in huge yield losses. We therefore tried to identify a chemical that could be utilized as an inhibitor of rice leaf blast and blight. Here, we show that both bacterial-induced rice blight and fungal-induced rice blast can be controlled by auranofin, an anti-rheumatoid arthritis and anti-cancer drug used in humans. Auranofin directly inhibited the growth of four Xoo strains, including PXO99, KACC10208, 1209, and 1308. In addition, auranofin effectively controlled the growth of 10 M. oryzae strains, including KACC46531, 46532, 46534, 46535, 46536, 46538, 46540, 46541, 46542, and 46544, although its effect on M. oryzae was weaker than that on Xoo. These results suggest that auranofin can be applied to rice to block both rice leaf blight and blast caused by Xoo and M. oryzae, respectively.

Panicle blast is a serious disease in rice production in Korea. To develop rice cultivar resistant to panicle blast, the Pb1 gene, originating in the indica cultivar ‘Modan’, was incorporated into an elite japonica cultivar ‘Ilmi’, which is highly susceptible to panicle blast, by marker assisted backcross breeding. ‘Hwayeong’ was selected as the donor parent for the Pb1 gene based on 10 years of panicle blast data. The inheritance of panicle blast resistance in ‘Hwayeong’ is controlled by a single dominant gene. This panicle blast resistance gene, Pb1, from ‘Hwayeong’ was incorporated into the susceptible variety, ‘Ilmi’, by marker assisted backcross approach using DNA marker RM206. As a result, ‘Saeilmi’ containing the Pb1 gene showed resistance to panicle blast. The agronomical and grain quality traits of ‘Saeilmi’ were similar to those of the recurrent parent ‘Ilmi’. Molecular background analysis revealed that ‘Saeilmi’ had the least donor segment introgression in the locus of the Pb1 gene on chromosome 11.

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• Morphological and molecular characterization of rice blast resistant advanced lines
  Sanjida Sabrin Anna, Md. Omar Kayess, Fahmina Mahmud, Julfikar Ali, Rakibul Hasan, A. K. M. Mohiuddin, Mohammad Abdul Latif
  Euphytica.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Genetic diversity and identification of blast resistance genes through SSR markers in Bangladeshi aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces
  Sumi Saha, Md Mamunur Rashid, Rabeya Khatun, Md Sams-Al Safin, Sohana Jui, Mst Tanjina Shahanaj Turin, Md Mamunur Rashid, Md Arifuzzaman
  Ecological Genetics and Genomics.2026; 39: 100481.     CrossRef
• The current state of the use of DNA markers for improving the efficiency of rice breeding in Japan
  Akitoshi Goto, Kei Matsushita, Utako Yamanouchi
  Breeding Science.2026; 76(1): 3.     CrossRef
• Introgression of multiple resistance genes against blast and bacterial blight diseases in the background of mega variety BRRI dhan28
  Mohammad Abdul Latif, Lutfur Rahman, Sheikh Arafat Islam Nihad, Md. Omar Kayess, Nazmul Islam, Mohammad Ashik Iqbal Khan
  Australasian Plant Pathology.2025; 54(6): 519.     CrossRef
• Gene pyramiding for enhancing resistance to blast and bacterial blight disease in rice through maker assisted selection
  Mohammad Abdul Latif, Omar Kayess, Rakibul Hasan
  Biotechnology Letters.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Pyramiding of Multiple Resistance Genes for Bacterial Leaf Blight and Blast Diseases in Premium Quality Rice BRRI dhan81 Through Marker‐Assisted Selection
  Mohammad Abdul Latif, Md. Hasibur Rahaman Hera, Lutfur Rahman, Md. Rejwan Bhuiyan, Md. Omar Kayess, Md. Mamunur Rashid, Md. Al‐Imran Hasan, Mohammad Ashik Iqbal Khan, Hiroki Saito
  Plant Pathology.2025; 74(6): 1641.     CrossRef
• Molecular marker assisted gene stacking for multiple diseases resistance in an elite rice cultivar, BRRI dhan48
  Mohammad Abdul Latif, Omar Kayess, Rakibul Hasan, Lutfur Rahman
  Plant Gene.2025; 42: 100505.     CrossRef
• Introgression of Multiple Disease Resistant Genes in the Genetic Background of High‐Yielding Rice Variety Through Marker‐Assisted Backcross Breeding
  Mohammad Abdul Latif, Md. Omar Kayess, Lutfur Rahman, Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashik Iqbal Khan
  Journal of Phytopathology.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Pyramiding of blast and bacterial blight resistance genes in premium quality rice variety, BRRI dhan63 through marker-assisted breeding approach
  Sheikh Arafat Islam Nihad, Md. Al-Imran Hasan, Touhidur Rahman Anik, Md. Mamunur Rashid, Mohammad Ashik Iqbal Khan, Md. Rashidul Islam, Mohammad Abdul Latif
  Euphytica.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• GWAS analysis reveals the genetic basis of blast resistance associated with heading date in rice
  Seung Young Lee, Gileung Lee, Jiheon Han, Su-Kyung Ha, Chang-Min Lee, Kyeongmin Kang, Mina Jin, Jung-Pil Suh, Ji-Ung Jeung, Youngjun Mo, Hyun-Sook Lee
  Frontiers in Plant Science.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Investigating the Mechanisms Underlying the Durability and Sustainable Use of Pb1 Gene-Mediated High Field Resistance to Rice Panicle Blast
  Kiyoshi Fujii, Taro Suzuki, Mitsuru Nakamura, Tomofumi Yoshida, Yoshinori Uchikawa, Haruka Suwazono, Nagao Hayashi, Yasukazu Kanda, Haruhiko Inoue
  Agronomy.2023; 13(7): 1751.     CrossRef
• Linkage of SSR markers with rice blast resistance and development of partial resistant advanced lines of rice (Oryza sativa) through marker-assisted selection
  Sheikh Arafat Islam Nihad, Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, Amirul Kabir, Md. Al-Imran Hasan, Md. Rejwan Bhuiyan, Mohd Rafii Yusop, Mohammad Abdul Latif
  Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants.2022; 28(1): 153.     CrossRef
• Identification of Stable Resistance Genes Based on Resistance Evaluation to Blast for Monogenic Lines and Leading Japonica Varieties in Rice
  Man-Kee Baek, Hyun-Su Park, Chang-Min Lee, Hyo-Jeong Lee, Jong-Min Jeong, Eok-Keun Ahn, Wong-Jo Hyun, Ji-Yoon Lee, O-Young Jeong, Ji-Ung Jeung, Jeom-Ho Lee, Young-Chan Cho
  Korean Journal of Breeding Science.2021; 53(3): 217.     CrossRef
• History and Results of Rice Breeding in Korea
  Young-Chan Cho, Man-Kee Baek, Hyun-Su Park, Jun-Hyun Cho, Eok-Keun Ahn, Jung-Pil Suh, Ji-Ung Jeung, Jong-Hee Lee, Yong-Jae Won, Yoo-Chun Song, Eung-Gi Jeong, Bo-Kyeong Kim, Jeom-Ho Lee
  Korean Journal of Breeding Science.2020; 52(S): 58.     CrossRef
• Accelerated development of rice stripe virus-resistant, near-isogenic rice lines through marker-assisted backcrossing
  Ju-Won Kang, Dongjin Shin, Jun-Hyeon Cho, Ji-Yoon Lee, Youngho Kwon, Dong-Soo Park, Jong-Min Ko, Jong-Hee Lee, Rosalyn B. Angeles-Shim
  PLOS ONE.2019; 14(12): e0225974.     CrossRef
• Molecular Mapping of the Blast Resistance Loci in the Durable Resistance Japonica Rice Cultivar, Palgong
  Man-Kee Baek, Young-Chan Cho, Hyun-Su Park, Jong-Min Jeong, Woo-Jae Kim, Jeong-Kwon Nam, Choon-Song Kim, Soon-Wook Kwon, Bo-Kyeong Kim
  Korean Journal of Breeding Science.2019; 51(4): 395.     CrossRef
• ‘Hyowon6’, a Mid-Late Maturing Rice Variety with High Quality
  Da-Eun Im, Mar Lar San, Seong-Gyu Jang, So-Yeon Park, Sang-Hyeon Jin, Yong Chul Kim, Tae-Ho Ham, Soon-Wook Kwon
  Korean Journal of Breeding Science.2018; 50(4): 529.     CrossRef
• Panicle blast 1 (Pb1) resistance is dependent on at least four QTLs in the rice genome
  Haruhiko Inoue, Mitsuru Nakamura, Tatsumi Mizubayashi, Akira Takahashi, Shoji Sugano, Shuuichi Fukuoka, Nagao Hayashi
  Rice.2017;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria suppress blast disease caused by Pyricularia oryzae and increase grain yield of rice
  Afroz Rais, Muhammad Shakeel, Fauzia Yusuf Hafeez, Muhammad Nadeem Hassan
  BioControl.2016; 61(6): 769.     CrossRef

Although traditional rice varieties and wild rice species exhibit vast genetic diversity, the transfer of useful genes to modern varieties is often hampered by linkage drag. In this study, the previously identified blast resistance locus Pi45(t) from a cross between ‘Ilpumbyeo’ and ‘Moroberekan’ was linked to the spreading-type panicle caused by the SPR3 locus. Using InDel4 and RM17579 linked to the Pi45(t) and the SPR3, respectively, the distance between the two loci was estimated to be 6.9cM. This suggests a tight, yet incomplete linkage and provides the opportunity to utilize Pi45(t) in breeding programs without including SPR3. Two groups based on the genotype at the SPR3 locus were assembled; the CLosed Panicle (CLP) and SPReading panicle (SPR) groups, with lines which were homozygous for the Ilpumbyeo and Moroberekan alleles, respectively. A comparison between the traits of CLP and SPR groups revealed a decrease in 1000-grain weight and length and an increase in spikelets per panicle and secondary branches in the SPR group. This complicates selection against SPR3 as it is not clear whether these quantitative trait loci are linked to either SPR3 or Pi45(t). Re-evaluation of these traits using lines recombinant at the two loci would be necessary to clarify this issue.

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• Directional upgrading of brown planthopper resistance in an elite rice cultivar by precise introgression of two resistance genes using genomics-based breeding
  Hongbo Wang, Yi Gao, Fangming Mao, Lizhong Xiong, Tongmin Mou
  Plant Science.2019; 288: 110211.     CrossRef

Resveratrol is a stilbenoid and phytoalexin produced in response to stresses, such as wounding, and pathogen attacks by bacteria or fungi. Two resveratrol rice lines, Iksan515 and Iksan526, were used to examine resistance against Korean pathogen races for bacterial blight, leaf blast, and brown leaf spot. The screening test for bacterial blight demonstrated an increased susceptibility of both transgenic lines to K1 race, and a more susceptible Iksan515 to K2. Phenotypic evaluation for resistance to brown leaf spot also revealed the susceptibility of Iksan526 to the disease which did not significantly differ from the isogenic variety ‘Dongjin’, and a slightly more susceptible Iksan515 to the disease compared to check. When the lines were screened with three races (KJ301, KJ101 and KJ133) of leaf blasts in the field, both transgenic lines exhibited resistance but at the same level with ‘Dongjin’. Our overall findings suggest that foreign phytoalexin resveratrol production in transgenic rice lines transformed with resveratrol synthase gene did not confer resistance against fungal and bacterial diseases.

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• Effect of genetically modified rice producing resveratrol on the soil microbial communities
  Soo-In Sohn, Young-Ju Oh, Byung-Yong Kim, Soon-Jong Kweon, Hyun-Suk Cho, Tae-Hoon Ryu
  Journal of the Korean Society for Applied Biological Chemistry.2015; 58(6): 795.     CrossRef