Resistance analysis of the rice variety Huaidao 5 against root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola

Meloidogyne graminicola has emerged as one of the most destructive plant-parasitic nematodes affecting rice(Oryza sativa)production worldwide.Resistance to M.graminicola in rice could be the most effective option for its management.However,sources of germplasm with resistance to M.graminicola in rice remain limited.Here,we describe the root attraction,gall formation and genetic analysis of the resistance to M.graminicola in the rice variety Huidao 5.A nematode attraction assay showed that second-stage juveniles(J2s)of M.graminicola were attracted at the root tip of Huaidao 5 within 8 h without a significant reduction in attraction compared to the susceptible rice variety Nanjing 9108.Microscopic observation of the infection revealed that the J2s invaded root tissues 12 h after inoculation,but their subsequent movement to the root tip was hindered in Huaidao 5,resulting in decreased nematode number compared to Nanjing 9108.Additionally,we used the soil and hydroponic culture systems to simulate upland and flooding conditions in the paddy fields respectively,and found that gall number was significantly reduced,and nematode development was clearly suppressed in Huaidao 5.To investigate the genetic basis of this resistance,cross breeding was performed between the Huaidao 5 and Nanjing 9108 varieties.There was no reduction in the resistance of the F_(1) offspring to M.graminicola in the greenhouse or field trials,suggesting that a dominant gene could control resistance in Huaidao 5.In summary,this study provides a detailed characterization of a novel source of resistance to M.graminicola in rice,which is of great potential for use in crop breeding.

Evaluation of Chinese rice varieties resistant to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola

The root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola, which is distributed worldwide, is considered a major constraint on rice production in Asia. The present study used the root gall index and number of nematodes inside the roots to evaluate resistance/susceptibility to M. graminicola in different subpopulations of Oryza sativa （aus, hybrid aus, indica, hybrid indica, temperate japonica, tropical japonica）. Nematode development in highly resistant varieties was also evaluated. Analyses of randomly selected 35 varieties showed the number of M. graminicola nematodes inside the roots correlated very strongly （r=0.87, P≤0.05） with the nematode gall index, and the results from pot and field experiments revealed similar rankings of the varieties for resistance/susceptibility. Among the 136 tested varieties, temperate japonica displayed the highest gall index, followed by tropical japonica, indica, hybrid indica, aus, and hybrid aus. Zhonghua 11 （aus）, Shenliangyou 1 （hybrid aus） and Cliangyou 4418 （hybrid indica） were highly resistant to M. graminicola under both pot and field conditions. Further examination of nematode development suggested that compared to susceptible rice, M. graminicola penetrated less often into highly resistant varieties and more frequently failed to develop into females. The promising varieties found in the present research might be useful for the breeding of hybrid rice in China and for the further development of practical nematode management measures.

Morphological and molecular characterization of the rice root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne graminicola, Golden and Birchfeild, 1965 occurring in Zhejiang, China

The rice root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola is a severe pest of rice. In China, it was first reported from Hainan Province, and later from several other provinces. In the present study, a rice root-knot nematode population found from the rice cultivation areas of Zhejiang Province, China is characterized via molecular analysis using internal transcribed spacer(ITS) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅱ(coxⅡ)-16 S rRNA genes and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observations of males and the second-stage juveniles. Morphometric data and molecular sequence comparisons for all M. graminicola populations occurring in China are also provided. The overall morphology of M. graminicola found in Zhejiang match well with the original description, though males have a slightly longer body and stylet, and a shorter tail, while the second-stage juvenile is also slightly longer than in the original description. This is the first report of M. graminicola from Zhejiang. Phylogenetic studies based on coxⅡ suggest that all the Chinese populations belong to Type B. This study expands knowledge of the increasing distribution and phylogenetic relationships of M. graminicola that occur in China.

Potassium sulphate induces resistance of rice against the rootknot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola

Potassium(K),an important nutrient element,can improve the stress resistance/tolerance of crops.The application of K in resisting plant-parasitic nematodes shows that the K treatment can reduce the occurrence of nematode diseases and increase crop yield.However,data on K_(2)SO_(4)induced rice resistance against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne graminicola are still lacking.In this work,K_(2)SO_(4)treatment reduced galls and nematodes in rice plants and delayed the development of nematodes.Rather than affecting the attractiveness of roots to nematodes and the morphological phenotype of giant cells at feeding sites,such an effect is achieved by rapidly priming hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2))accumulation and increasing callose deposition.Meanwhile,galls and nematodes in rice roots were more in the potassium channel OsAKT11 and transporter OsHAK5 gene-deficient plants than in wild-type,while the K_(2)SO_(4)-induced resistance showed weaker in the defective plants.In addition,during the process of nematode infection,the expression of jasmonic acid(JA)/ethylene(ET)/brassinolide(BR)signaling pathway-related genes and pathogenesis-related(PR)genes OsPR1 a/OsPR1 b was up-regulated in rice after K_(2)SO_(4)treatment.In conclusion,K_(2)SO_(4)induced rice resistance against M.graminicola.The mechanism of inducing resistance was to prime the basal defense and required the participation of the K^(+)channel and transporter in rice.These laid a foundation for further study on the mechanism of rice defense against nematodes and the rational use of potassium fertilizer on improving rice resistance against nematodes in the field.