Trade Benefits and Environmental Costs of GVCS: A Case Study of the BRICS

As the international trading system has developed with the division of Global value Chains (GVCS), the export trade of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) has grown rapidly. The resulting growth of carbon emissions has drawn wide attention from the international community, necessitating the comparison of the trade benefits and environmental costs of the BRICS participation in GVCS. Based on the Eora database, this paper constructs a decomposition framework for the calculation of export value-added and embodied carbon, based on a multi-region input-output (MRIO) model. The trade benefits and environmental costs paid by the BRICS’ total exports from 1990 to 2015 were measured and the imbalance was analyzed, along with the causes. The results show that the main value-added and carbon embodied in the BRICS’ exports originate from their own countries, and the domestic value-added content of the BRICS’ exports decreased while the foreign value-added content increased.

Synthetical Evaluation on the Qualitative and Quantitative Resistance of Rice Germplasms to Magnaporthe oryzae

[Objectives]This study was conducted to screen out rice resources resistant to rice blast(Magnaporthe oryzae).[Methods]The qualitative and quantitative resistance of 1659 rice resources from 45 countries and regions to rice blast were evaluated by disease nursery in upland condition and the test of the spectrum to rice blast isolates.[Results]There were 292 entries which accounted for 17.6%showed high blast resistance(0 and 1 disease scale),68 entries(counted for 4.1%)showed resistance to blast(3 disease scale);and the number of the entries showed intermediate resistance,intermediate susceptible and susceptible were 208(with the corresponding percentage of 12.5%),471(28.4%),620(37.4%)respectively.Among the tested entries,27 entries including BG1222,BL122,BTX,IR37704-131-2-3-2,and LEBONNET had showed broad-spectrum blast resistance with the resistance frequency of higher than 90%,Quantitative resistance evaluation was conducted on some key resources,and 14 entries,of which are BR27,DRAGO,IR100,QINLIUAI、SERIBU GANTANG,YUEXIANGZHAN and so on,showed good quantitative resistances,and 8 entries had higher quantitative resistances than IR36.[Conclusions]This study provides important blast resistance resources for the local rice breeding program and has a significant value for the discovery of new blast resistance genes and its application in the blast resistance breeding.

Preventive and Therapeutic Effects of New Fungicides on Rice Blast

[Objectives]The paper was to identify the characteristics and the potency of new fungicides to rice blast disease,and study their preventive and therapeutic effects on the disease.[Methods]Six new and conventional fungicides with different mechanisms of action were selected to compare their preventive and therapeutic effects on rice seedling blast in greenhouse.[Results]The agents which showed to be highly efficacious in blast prevention(greater than 90%)were 25%pyraclostrobin EC,20%fenoxanil SC,75%tricyclazole WP and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP sprayed at the dosages of 112.5-150,180-360,270-450 and 450-600 g/ha,respectively.The therapeutic effect of new fungicides 25%pyraclostrobin EC and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP on rice blast were above 90%when the dosages were 90-150 and 360-600 g/ha,respectively.The therapeutic effect of the conventional fungicide 40%isoprothiolane EC on rice blast was 69.04%when the dosage was 480 g/ha,while those of other fungicides were worse.[Conclusions]Both 25%pyraclostrobin EC and 50%prochloraz-manganese WP have good preventive and therapeutic effects on rice blast,which will provide a reference for the use of these fungicides in the field.

Comparative Analysis of the Genomes of Three Field Isolates of the Rice Blast Fungus <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i>from Southern China

Rice blast caused by Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae) is one of the most destructive diseases, which causes significant rice yield losses and affects global food security. To better understand genetic variations among different isolates of M. oryzae in the nature field, we re-sequenced and analyzed the genomes of three field isolates, QJ08-2006, QJ10-10, and QJ10-3001, which showed distinct pathogenicity on Xin-Yin-Zhan, an elite variety in South China. Genome annotation indicated that these three isolates assemblies have similar genome sizes with 38.4 Mb, 38.3 Mb, and 38.4 Mb, respectively. The QJ08-2006 assembly has 2082 contigs with an N50 of 127.4 kb, the QJ10-10 assembly has 2239 contigs with an N50 of 105.13 kb, the QJ10-3001 assembly has 2025 contigs with an N50 of 133.16 kb. A total of 10,432 genes including 1408 putative secreted protein genes were identified from the annotated isolate QJ08-2006 genome, 10,418 genes including 1410 putative secreted protein genes were identified in QJ10-10, and 10,401 genes including 1420 putative secreted protein genes were identified in QJ10-3001. There are as many as 11,076 identical genes in these three isolates and contained only a few unique genes among three isolates, of which 277 unique genes in QJ08-2006 and 264 unique genes in QJ10-10, and 213 unique genes in QJ10-3001. Most of the predicted secreted protein genes had been identified, and the three re-sequenced strains contained 371, 369, and 387 small Indel, respectively. Avr genes were analyzed in several sequenced Magnaporthe strains, the results revealed that Avr-Pi9 and Avr-Piz-t were present in all the sequenced isolates. The isolates QJ08-2006 contained AvrPib, QJ10-10, and QJ10-3001 had an insertion of a Pot3 element in the promoter of the AvrPib gene. Our results showed that, the rapid dominancy of virulence mutant isolates via clonal propagation displayed in the field after the release of the elite variety Xin-Yin-Zhan.

Rice False Smut Fungus, <i>Ustilaginoidea virens</i>, Inhibits Pollen Germination and Degrades the Integuments of Rice Ovule

Ustilaginoidea virens is a flower-infecting fungus that forms false smut balls in rice panicle. Rice false smut has long been considered a minor disease, but recently it occurred frequently and emerged as a major disease in rice production. In vitro co-cultivation of U. virens strain with young rice panicles showed that U. virens enters inside of spikelets from the apex and then grows downward to infect floral organs. In response to U. virens infection, rice host exhibits elevated ROS accumulation and enhanced callose deposition. The secreted compounds of U. virens can suppress rice pollen germination. Examination of sectioning slides of freshly collected smut balls demonstrated that both pistil and stamens of rice flower are infected by U. virens, hyphae degraded the contents of the pollen cells, and also invaded the filaments. In addition, U. virens entered rice ovary through the thin-walled papillary cells of the stigma, then decomposed the integuments and infected the ovary. The invaded pathogen could not penetrate the epidermis and other layers of the ovary. Transverse section of the pedicel just below the smut balls showed that there were no fungal hyphae observed in the vascular bundles of the pedicel, implicating that U. virens is not a systemic flower-infecting fungus.

Differential Detection and Analysis of Pathotypes and Differentiation against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Southern China

Pathogenic isolates were collected from different rice-cropping regions in southern China to dissect the pathogenic disintegration and variation of Xanthornonas oryzae pv. oryzae （Xoo）. Two sets of rice-Xoo differential hosts, including Chinese system with such five euhivars as IR26, Java14, Nangeng15, Tetep and Jingang 30 and international system with a series of nearisogenic lines （NILs） including IRBB5, IRBB13, IRBB3, IRBB14, IRBB2 and IR24 carrying different known resistance genes,were used to detect pathogenic disintegration for the reaction between host and pathogen with leaf-clippingmethod at the rice booting stage. The results showed the type of the pathogen were divided intosix pathotypes, i.e. , Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, Ⅳ, Ⅴ and Ⅸ based on the Chinese differential system, and seven pathogenicraces including RI, R2, R3, R4, R5, R8 and R10 based on the international differential system. The pathogenicity frequency of Xoo pathotypes V and IV and pathogenic races R8 and R5 were 27.40% , 19.30% and 44.67% , 15.34%, which were considered to be the prevailing races in southern China. Pathogenic rates of pathotypes Ⅳ, Ⅴ, Ⅸ and races R8, R5 against 500 varieties derived from southernChina were 96.40% , 95.00% , 50.40% , 62.00% , and 42.60%, respectively. Among which pathotype Ⅸ was the most virulent pathotype. The pathotype Ⅴ became preponderant pathotype and the new pathotype Ⅸ grew up quickly.

Resistance Analysis on Major Resistant Genes of Rice Bacterial Blight in Different Donors and Genetic Background

The different donors of eight rice bacterial blight( BB) major resistant( MR) genes,Xa3,Xa4,xa5,Xa7,Xa10,Xa11,Xa14 and Xa23,were inoculated with two Chinese Xoo strains,strain IV and strain V,respectively. The strain IV was a predominant pathotype in south China,while the strain V was a severe virulentstrain. Two susceptible sterile lines and two susceptible inbred rice were employed to study the effect of geneticbackground on expression of resistance to BB for Xa4,xa5,Xa7 and Xa23. The application value of twodominant resistant genes Xa7 and Xa23 on hybrid rice was also evaluated. The results indicated that the resistance inheritance behaviors of most of the MR genes to the Xoo strains were similar and only a few genes show contradictory reaction in different donors,which suggests that the genetic background would produce an effect on the resistant expression of some R genes. Four resistant donors,IRBB4,IRBB5,IRBB7 and CBB23,were crossed with four susceptible cultivars,WufengA,JitianA,Jingang30 and IR24,respectively,using the resistant donors as male parent. The analysis of F1 populations revealed that the recessive resistance gene xa5 and dominant resistance gene Xa23 conformed to recessive and dominant expression model,respectively,while the other two dominant resistance genes,Xa4 and Xa7,conformed to dominant expression model only in some of F1 populations but not for others. In conclusion,expression of resistance for xa5 and Xa23 was independent of genetic background,while Xa4 and Xa7 show specific behaviors of resistance related to the receptor background. This study also suggests that Xa7 is not suitable for application in hybrid rice,for the F1 generation of its cross with two male sterile lines were highly susceptible,and Xa23( CBB23) had important value in improving BB resistance of hybridrice,as the F1 generations from its cross with 4 susceptible parents,including sterile lines and inbred rice,were all show highly resistant.

Development of Specific DNA Markers for Detecting the Rice Blast Resistance Gene Alleles Pi2/9/z-t

Specific molecular markers for detecting the alleles of Pi2/Pi9/Piz-t,designated as Pi2 SNP,Pi9 SNP and Pizt-PA,respectively,have been successfully developed through sequence comparison method.These three specific markers can distinctly distinguish target genes from others mapped on Pi2/9 locus,which facilitates the molecular marker-assistant selection and the development of pyramiding cultivars combined with other allele R genes.Additionally,101 main cultivars and breeding parents collected from different rice-planting areas have been diagnosed with these three specific markers,and the results showed that only 2 out of the 101 cultivars carried Piz-t,but neither Pi2 nor Pi9 band had been detected.It indicates that most of the main cultivars and breeding parents in China do not carry Pi2/Pi9/Piz-t.These results provide important information for the application of Pi2/Pi9/Piz-t in the blast resistance breeding programs.

Research Progress in Molecular Mechanism of Broad-spectrum Disease Resistance in Rice

Yield loss caused by crop diseases seriously restricts global food security.Breeding disease-resistant varieties with resistance(R)genes is acknowledged as the most economical and effective way to control diseases.Therefore,exploring broad-spectrum resistance(BSR)genes to pathogens and clarifying the underlying mechanism are the basis for effective utilization of BSR resources and finding new approaches for disease control.In the past 20 years,significant progress has also been made in plant immune mechanism and remarkable achievements have been made in researches on broad-spectrum disease resistance of major grain crops,and the potential molecular mechanisms of some BSR have been revealed.Here,the advances of broad-spectrum disease resistance in rice(including the representative cloned BSR genes and their molecular mechanisms)were reviewed.In addition,the problems,opportunities and challenges encountered by BSR were analyzed,and the development of BSR research and its application in rice production were prospected.

Utilization Situation and Prospect of Gene xa5 Against Pathotype Ⅴ of Rice Bacterial Blight

In recent years,the strong virulence pathotype Ⅴ of rice bacterial blight grew up quickly in Southern China,which has become a major population and spread to the rice regions of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces in Southern China.Since pathotype Ⅴ caused serious bacterial blight disease in rice production regions,it is urgent to breed and promote resistant varieties against pathotype Ⅴ.The most economic and effective measure to control rice bacterial blight is to breed resistant cultivars for widely planting using resistance genes.The Institute of Plant Protection,Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences,and Agricultural Science Research Institute of Panyu District of Guangzhou used IRBB5 carrying the recessive xa5 gene from IRRI that is resistant to pathotype Ⅴ to breed resistant varieties with rice blast resistance source,through hybridization,multiple cross,pedigree selection and synchronous resistance evaluation.We successfully bred series of new resistant rice varieties such as Baijiangzhan,Baijingzhan and Baisizhan,which showed resistance to strong virulence pathotype Ⅴ(grade 1-3)of bacterial blight and rice blast(mediate to high resistance),good grain quality(level 3 of rice quality of Guangdong),and yield equivalent to major cultivars(compared with region trial control cultivars of Guangdong).These new resistant varieties were promoted and planted in the strong virulence pathotype Ⅴ region along the west coast of Guangdong,which showed favorable superiority and wide application prospect in controlling rice bacterial blight with resistance varieties.

Advances in Integrated Control Techniques of Rice Blast

Rice blast is the most devastating disease in rice,and it seriously threatens the safety of rice production.Improving the ability of integrated prevention and control of rice blast has always been an important part of ensuring food production safety.In the past decade,scientists have made great progress in the prevention and control techniques of rice blast,which paves the way for the green controlling of rice diseases.In this article,the advances in the intelligentization of rice blast field monitoring techniques,the optimization of prediction and forecast modeling system,the research and development of low-toxic and high-efficiency chemical pesticides,biogenic pesticides and inducers and the regulation of multiple ecological factors including variety and cultivation are reviewed,and the new strategies for green controlling of rice blast based on these techniques are summarized.Further,the problems such as high pesticide prices and pesticide residue faced by rice blast prevention and control and the challenge of slow research and development of low-toxic and economical biogenic pesticides are discussed.Finally,the development direction of green controlling of rice blast based on molecular targets,small interfering RNA(siRNA)and CRISPR/Cas9 technologies is predicted,with a view to guaranteeing the safety of rice production.

The Piks allele of the NLR immune receptor Pik breaks the recognition of AvrPik effectors of rice blast fungus

Arms race co-evolution of plant–pathogen interactions evolved sophisticated recognition mechanisms between host immune receptors and pathogen effectors. Different allelic haplotypes of an immune receptor in the host mount distinct recognition against sequence or non-sequence related effectors in pathogens. We report the molecular characterization of the Piks allele of the rice immune receptor Pik against rice blast pathogen, which requires two head-to-head arrayed nucleotide-binding sites and leucine-rich repeat proteins. Like other Pik alleles, both Piks-1 and Piks-2 are necessary and sufficient for mediating resistance. However, unlike other Pik alleles, Piks does not recognize any known AvrPik variants of Magnaporthe oryzae. Sequence analysis of the genome of an avirulent isolate V86010 further revealed that its cognate avirulence(Avr) gene most likely has no significant sequence similarity to known AvrPik variants. Piks-1 and Pikm-1 have only two amino acid differences within the integrated heavy metal-associated(HMA) domain. Pikm-HMA interacts with AvrPik-A,-D, and-E in vitro and in vivo,whereas Piks-HMA does not bind any AvrPik variants. Characterization of two amino acid residues differing Piks-1 from Pikm-1 reveal that Piks-E229Q derived from the exchange of Glu229 to Gln229 in Piks-1 gains recognition specificity against AvrPik-D but not AvrPik-A or-E, indicating that Piks-E229Q partially restores the Pikm spectrum. By contrast,Piks-A261V derived from the exchange of Ala261 to Val261 in Piks-1 retains Piks recognition specificity.We conclude that Glu229 in Piks-1 is critical for Piks breaking the canonical Pik/AvrPik recognition pattern. Intriguingly, binding activity and ectopic cell death induction is maintained between Piks-A261V and AvrPik-D, implying that positive outcomes from ectopic assays might be insufficient to deduce its immune activity against the relevant effectors in rice and rice blast interaction.

Pathogenicity Analysis on Magnaporthe oryzae from Hybrid Combination Wuyou 308

Eighteen blast isolates were obtained from hybrid combination Wuyou308 using the Magnaporthe oryzae pathogen isolation method.Race identification of these isolates was conducted based on seven Chinese blast differentials and 11 blast monogenic lines.The results indicated that the isolates were identified as the races of ZB13,ZB15 and ZC13,accounting for 66.67%,27.78%,5.56%,respectively,and the resistance genes including Pi-ta2 and Pi-sh,Pi-i were highly susceptible to these isolates,while the resistance genes like Pi-kh,Pi-1,Pi2,Pi-9 and Pi-50 showed good resistance to tested pathogens.All isolates were compatible to the original rice hybrid Wuyou308.Three isolates including GDHY-308-1401 were used for testing their pathogenicity to 45 local varieties.The results demonstrated that 13 varieties appeared highly susceptible to the tested isolates,accounting for 28.89%;two varieties appeared moderately susceptible to the tested isolates,accounting for 4.44%;30 varieties showed moderately/highly resistance,accounting for 66.67%.Among them,some of new hybrid combinations such as Wufengyou 9802,Wuyou 613,Wuyou 1179 showed good resistance to the inoculated strains,and they were recommended to be candidates in the rice region where Wuyou308 showed susceptibility.