Codominance Functional Marker of Bacterial Blight Resistance Gene Xa7 in Rice

[Objectives]A codominance functional marker of the broad-spectrum bacterial blight resistance gene,Xa7,of rice was identified for accurate detection,generation tracking,and differentiation between homozygous and hemizygous genotypes of the gene.[Methods]A potential functional marker containing four primers was designed using Premier 5 software and based on the differences on the sequences of Xa7,xa7,and allele-free genomes.The molecular distinctness of the marker in different materials was verified by PCR.Three crossbreed lines of Xa7 and their parents were inoculated with seven bacterial blight strains at the booting stage to examine the affected agronomic traits at maturation.[Results]The homozygous R084 of Xa7 could be amplified into a 91 bp band and the Nip free of allele with a 153 bp band,while the heterozygote Nip/R084,91 bp and 153 bp bands.The candidate codominance marker,Xa7fun,amplified fragments that matched the predicted target bands.No 91 bp fragment was amplified from 18 germplasms of varied types,indicating a lack of Xa7 in them.Whereas Ry1,Ry2 and Ry3 had a 91 bp band,suggesting the inclusion of homozygous Xa7.Under an elevated temperature,Huazhan responded to the seven bacterial blight pathogens as highly susceptible(HS),intermediate susceptible(MS),or susceptible(S);R084 to six of the seven pathogens(HNA1-4,FuJ,GDA2,GD1358,PX086,and YN24)as highly resistant(HR),intermediate resistant(MR)or resistant(R);Ry-1 to five pathogens(GDA2,HNA1-4,FuJ,GD1358,and YN24)as HR or MR;Ry-2 to five pathogens(GDA2,GD1358,HNA1-4,PXO86,and YN24)as HR or R;and Ry-3 to 6 pathogens(HNA1-4,FuJ,GDA2,GD1358,PXO86,and YN24)as HR or MR.Therefore,the infiltration of Xa7 in the improved crossbred lines RY-1,RY-2,and RY-3 significantly accentuated the blight resistance of Huazhan.[Conclusions]Homozygous or hemizygous Xa7 could be accurately differentiated by the currently identified codominance functional marker Xa7 fun.The Xa7 introgression did not significantly alter the critical agronomic traits in the hybridization from generation to generation and could be safely applied in breeding rice varieties with bacterial blight resistance.

Rhizosphere Bacteria for Biocontrol of Bacterial Blight and Growth Promotion of Rice

Several bacterial strains were isolated from different rhizospheres. Among these, strain PDY7 exhibited strong antibacterial activity against the rice bacterial blight （BB） pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae （Xoo） by the laboratory dual plate assays. The antibacterial property of the strain PDY7 was further investigated for the production of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol （DAPG）, which amplified a characteristic of 629-bp DNA fragment by PCR-based screening method using phlD primers. The application of phlD positive strains was carefully evaluated for disease control and growth promotion of rice plants under field conditions. The selected strain PDY7 suppressed the rice BB by 58.83% and 51.88% under glass house and field conditions, respectively. In addition, the strain PDY7 showed significant two-fold increase in root length （18.08 cm）, shoot length （29.81 cm）, and grain yield （96.07 g）. Strain PDY7 promoted the growth of rice plants by production of indole-3-acetic acid （IAA）, which was determined by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） analysis. Our findings suggest that PDY7 belongs to the P. fluorescens group and can serve as potential biocontrol of BB as well as biofertilizer agent for growth promotion of rice.

Pyramiding blast,bacterial blight and brown planthopper resistance genes in rice restorer lines

Rice blast, bacterial blight （BB） and brown planthopper （BPH） are the three main pests of rice. This study investigated pyr-amiding genes resistant to blast, BB and BPH to develop restorer lines. Ten new lines with blast, BB and/or BPH resistance genes were developed using marker-assisted selection （MAS） technique and agronomic trait selection （ATS） method. Only HR13 with resistance genes to blast, BB and BPH was obtained. In addition to blast and BB resistance, four lines （HR39, HR41, HR42, HR43） demonstrated moderate resistance to BPH, but MAS for BPH resistance genes were not conducted in developing these four lines. These data suggested that there were unknown elite BPH resistance genes in the Zhongzu 14 donor parent. A more effective defense was demonstrated in the lines withPi1 andPi2 genes although the weather in 2012 was favorable to disease incidence. Blast resistance of the lines with a single resistance gene,Pita, was easily inlfuenced by the weather. Overal, the information obtained through pyramiding multiple resistance genes on developing the restorer lines is helpful for rice resistance breeding.

Resistance of Antimicrobial Peptide Gene Transgenic Rice to Bacterial Blight

Antimicrobial peptide is a polypeptide with antimicrobial activity. Antimicrobial peptide genes Np3 and Np5 from Chinese shrimp （Fenneropenaeus Chinensis） were integrated into Oryza sativa L. subsp, japonica cv. Aichi ashahi by Agrobacterium mediated transformation system. PCR analysis showed that the positive ratios of Np3 and Np5 were 36% and 45% in To generation, respectively. RT-PCR analysis showed that the antimicrobial peptide genes were expressed in T1 generation, and there was no obvious difference in agronomic traits between transgenic plants and non-transgenic plants. Four Np3 and Np5 transgenic lines in T1 generation were inoculated with Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae strain CR4, and all the four transgenic lines had significantly enhanced resistance to bacterial blight caused by the strain CR4. The Np5 transgenic lines also showed higher resistance to bacterial blight caused by strains JS97-2, Zhe 173 and OS-225. It is suggested that transgenic lines with Np5 gene might possess broad spectrum resistance to rice bacterial blight.

Improving the resistance of the rice PTGMS line Feng39S by pyramiding blast,bacterial blight,and brown planthopper resistance genes

Knowledge of rice(Oryza sativa L.)genes and various DNA markers can be used in genomic breeding programs aimed at developing improved elite rice cultivars.We used an efficient genomic breeding approach to pyramid four resistance genes(Pi2,Xa23,Bph14,and Bph15)in the popular photoperiod-and thermosensitive genic male sterile(PTGMS)rice line Feng39S.We performed foreground selection for the target genes,followed by recombinant selection and background selection.This process reduced the sizes of the genomic segments harboring the target genes(566.8 kb for Pi2,1143.9 kb for Xa23,774.7 kb for Bph14,and 1574.9 kb for Bph15)and accelerated the recovery of the recurrent parent genome to proportions ranging from 98.77%to 99.16%,thus resulting in four near-isogenic lines.To assemble the four resistance genes in Feng39S,we performed a double-way cross combined with foreground and background selection to generate two improved lines of Feng39S(Pi2+Xa23+Bph14+Bph15)with a recurrent parent genome recovery of 98.98%.The two lines showed agronomic performance,grain quality,and fertility–sterility transition characteristics similar to those of the original Feng39S line.The newly developed PTGMS lines and corresponding hybrid combinations were resistant to various field blast isolates and seven representative isolates of bacterial blight.At the seedling stage,the lines also showed resistance against brown planthopper.This study provides an efficient and accurate genomic breeding approach for introducing desirable traits into PTGMS lines.

Marker-Assisted Pyramiding of Genes Conferring ResistanceAgainst Bacterial Blight and Blast Diseases into Indian RiceVariety MTU1010

Two major bacterial blight （BB） resistance genes （Xa21 and xa13） and a major gene for blastresistance （Pi54） were introgressed into an Indian rice variety MTU1010 through marker-assistedbackcross breeding. Improved Samba Mahsuri （possessing Xa21 and xa13） and NLR145 （possessingPi54） were used as donor parents. Marker-assisted backcrossing was continued till BC2 generationwherein PCR based functional markers specific for the resistance genes were used for foregroundselection and a set of parental polymorphic microsatellite markers were used for background selectionat each stage of backcrossing. Selected BC2F1 plants from both crosses, having the highest recoveriesof MTU1010 genome （90% and 92%, respectively）, were intercrossed to obtain intercross F1 （ICF1） plants,which were then selfed to generate 880 ICF2 plants possessing different combinations of the BB andblast resistance genes. Among the ICF2 plants, seven triple homozygous plants （xa13xa13Xa21Xa21Pi54Pi54）with recurrent parent genome recovery ranging from 82% to 92% were identified. All the seven ICF2plants showed high resistance against the bacterial blight disease with a lesion lengths of only 0.53–2.28 cm, 1%–5% disease leaf areas and disease scoring values of ‘1’ or ‘3’. The seven ICF2 plants wereselfed to generate ICF3, which were then screened for blast resistance, and all were observed to behighly resistant to the diseases. Several ICF3 lines possessing high level of resistance against BB andblast, coupled with yield, grain quality and plant type on par with MTU1010 were identified and advanced forfurther selection and evaluation.

Genetics and Improvement of Bacterial Blight Resistance of Hybrid Rice in China

Since 1980s, rice breeding for resistance to bacterial blight has been rapidly progressing in China. The gene Xa4 was mainly used in three-line indica hybrid and two-line hybrid rice. The disease has been ＇quiet＇ for 20 years in China, yet in recent years it has gradually emerged and been prevalent in fields planted with newly released rice varieties in the Changjiang River valley. Under the circumstances, scientists inevitably raised several questions： what causes the resurgence and what should we do next？ And/or is resistance breeding still one of the main objectives in rice improvement？ Which approach do we take on resistance breeding so that the resistance will be more durable, and the resistance gene will be used more efficiently？ A combined strategy involving traditional method, molecular marker-assisted selection, and transgenic technology should bring a new era to the bacterial blight resistance hybrid rice breeding program. This review also briefly discusses and deliberates on issues related to the broadening of bacterial blight resistance, and suitable utilization of resistance genes, alternate planting of available resistance genes; and understands the virulent populations of the bacterial pathogen in China even in Asia.

Genetic Improvement of Rice for Bacterial Blight Resistance:Present Status and Future Prospects

The production and productivity of rice has been challenged due to biotic and abiotic factors.Bacterial blight(BB)disease,caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae,is one of the important biotic stress factors,which reduces rice production by 20%-50%.The deployment of host plant resistance is the most preferred strategy for management of BB disease,and breeding disease resistant varieties remains a very economical and effective option.However,it is difficult to develop rice varieties with durable broad-spectrum resistance against BB using conventional approaches alone.Modern biotechnological tools,particularly the deployment of molecular markers,have facilitated the cloning,characterization and introgression of BB resistance genes into elite varieties.At least 46 BB resistance genes have been identified and mapped from diverse sources till date.Among these,11 genes have been cloned and characterized.Marker-assisted breeding remains the most efficient approach to improve BB resistance by introducing two or more resistance genes into target varieties.Among the identified genes,xa5,xa13 and Xa21 are being widely used in marker-assisted breeding and more than 70 rice varieties or hybrid rice parental lines have been improved for their BB resistance alone or in combination with genes/QTLs conferring tolerance to other stress.We review the developments related to identification and utilization of various resistance genes to develop BB resistant rice varieties through marker-assisted breeding.

Breeding Rice Restorer Lines with High Resistance to Bacterial Blight by Using Molecular Marker-Assisted Selection

Two bacterial blight （BB） resistance genes, Xa21 and Xa4, from IRBB24 were introduced into hybrid rice restorer line Mianhui 725, which is highly susceptible to BB, by using hybridization and molecular marker-assisted selection technology. Four homologous restorer lines were obtained through testing the R target genes with molecular markers and analyzing parental genetic background. Inoculation of the four lines and their hybrids with the specific strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, P1, P6 and seven representative strains of Chinese pathotype, C Ⅰ -CⅦ, showed that all of the four lines and their hybrids were highly resistant and presented broad resistance-spectrum to BB. The hybrids of G46A / R207-2 displayed good agronomic characters and high yield potential, and R207-2 was named Shuhui 207.

Transgenic Rice Plants Harboring Genomic DNA from Zizania latifolia Confer Bacterial Blight Resistance

Based on the sequence of a resistance gene analog FZ14 derived from Zizania latifolia （Griseb.）, a pair of specific PCR primers FZ14P1/FZ14P2was designed to isolate candidate disease resistance gene. The pooled-PCR approach was adopted using the primer pair to screen a genomic transformation-competent artificial chromosome （TAC） library derived from Z. latifolia. A positive TAC clone （ZR1） was obtained and confirmed by sequence analysis. The results indicated that ZR1 consisted of conserved motifs similar to P-loop （kinase la）, kinase 2, kinase 3a and GLPL （Gly-Leu-Pro-Leu）, suggesting that it could be a portion of NBS-LRR type of resistance gene. Using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Nipponbare mature embryo, a total of 48 independent transgenic To plants were obtained. Among them, 36 plants were highly resistant to the virulent bacterial blight strain PXO71. The results indicate that ZR1 contains at least one functional bacterial blight resistance gene.

QTL and candidate genes associated with common bacterial blight resistance in the common bean cultivar Longyundou 5 from China

Common bacterial blight(CBB), caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli and Xanthomonas fuscans subsp. fuscans(Xff), is a worldwide disease of common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.).Longyundou 5, a Chinese cultivar in the Mesoamerican gene pool of common bean, displays resistance to the Xff strain XSC3-1. To identify the genetic mechanisms behind this resistance,we crossed Long 5 with a susceptible genotype to develop a mapping population of F2 plants.Plant resistance to CBB was identified at 14 and 21 days after inoculation with Xff strain XSC3-1.A major QTL at 14 and 21 days after inoculation was mapped on chromosome Pv10 with LOD scores of 6.41 and 5.35, respectively. This locus was associated with SAP6, a previouslyidentified and much-used dominant marker, but in a 4.2 cM interval between new codominant markers BMp10s174 and BMp10s244. Ten candidate genes were found between markers BMp10s174 and BMp10s244 on chromosome Pv10 and could encode defense response proteins responding to CBB pathogens. Four pairs each of epistatic QTL for CBB resistance were detected at 14 and 21 days after inoculation. Phenotypic variation explained by the epistatic QTL ranged from 7.19% to 12.15% and 7.72% to 8.80% at 14 and 21 days after inoculation, respectively. These results confirmed the importance of epistasis in CBB resistance in common bean. The adjacent markers found may be more efficient for marker assisted selection in common bean breeding for CBB resistance owing to their closer linkage to the target QTL.

Molecular-based Integrated Identification of Bacterial Blight(Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae) in Anthurium and Detection of Latent Infection

Bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae （Xad）, is the most destructive disease of anthurium worldwide, and no effective control technique has been developed currently. The comprehensive survey and precise detection of the pathogen is essential for evaluating disease progress and strengthening management to avoid a serious epidemic. In this study, a total of 253 blight-suspected samples of anthurum and other Araceae species were collected across the country, and 166 potential pathogenic bacteria strains were isolated and purified, after combined analysis on the characteristics of morphology, pathoge- nicity, 16S rDNA sequences and amplicans of Xad-specific SCAR markers. Finally, 93 of which were considered as X. axonopod/s pv. dieffenbachiae. In addition, by using a nested-PCR in repeated detections, 17 out of 21 prevalent anthurium cultivars without blight symptom exhibited latent infection even in young leaves. The results indicated that the anthurium bacterial blight distributed commonly in growing areas in China, and most of the commercial cuhivars had no strong resistance. The identification of Xad infection （latent） would be beneficial for the disease forecasting and management improving in anthttrium production.

Application of Functional Markers to Identify Genes for Bacterial Blight Resistance in Oryza rufipogon

Field resistances of nine accessions of common wild rice （Oryza rufipogon Griff.） and one rice variety （IR24） were evaluated by using nine strains of bacterial blight pathogen （Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae） from the Philippines. IR24 was highly susceptible to all the strains, and six common wild rice accessions resisted all the nine strains, with a resistance frequency of 67%. The accessions Yulin and Wanning were only susceptible to PXO280 and PXO71, respectively. The accession Gaozhou was susceptible to the three strains PXO79, PXO99 and PXO339, whereas resistant to the other six strains. It could be concluded that there is at least one resistance gene in each common wild rice accession. The functional markers of the genes xa5, xa13, Xa21 and Xa27 were used to detect the presence of these resistance genes in the nine tested wild rice accessions, and it was found that four wild rice accessions contained heterozygous xa13. Among the nine common wild rice accessions, five were homozygous for Xa27 and three homozygous for xa27, and the accession Laibin contained neither xa27 nor Xa27. In addition, there were no xa5 and Xa21 in all of these accessions.

Breeding of R8012,a Rice Restorer Line Resistant to Blast and Bacterial Blight Through Marker-Assisted Selection

Genetic improvement is one of the most effective strategies to prevent rice from blast and bacterial blight （BB） diseases, the two most prevalent diseases jeopardizing rice production. Rice hybrids with dural resistance to blast and BB are needed for sustainable production of food. An incomplete diallele design resulted in 25 crosses between five blast and five BB resistant germplasm accessions. Only one pair of parents, DH146 ×TM487, showed polymorphism for all the markers to identify one blast resistance gene Pi25 and three BB resistance genes, Xa21, xa13 and xa5, thus it was used in the marker-assisted selection （MAS）. F2 individuals of DH146× TM487 were genotyped using flanking markers of RM3330 and sequence tagged site （STS） marker SA7 for Pi25. The resistant F2 plants with Pi25 were used for pyramiding BB resistance genes Xa21, xa13 and xa5 identified by the markers pTA248, RM264 and RM153, respectively in subsequent generations. Finally, after selection for agronomic traits and restoration ability among 12 pyramided lines, we acquired an elite restorer line, R8012 including all four target genes （Pi25＋Xa21＋xa13＋xa5）. Hybrid Zhong 9NR8012 derived from the selected line showed stronger resistance to blast and BB, and higher grain yield than the commercial checks uniformally in experimental plots, 2007 state-wide yield trial and 2008 nation-wide yield trial. This study provides a paradigmatic example to show that MAS is a practically feasible tool in effectively pyramiding multiple resistance genes. The resultant restoring line and its hybrid would play an important role in securing rice production in China.

Comparative microRNA profiling reveals microRNAs involved in rice resistant response to bacterial blight

Bacterial blight(BB), which is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae(Xoo), is one of the most destructive bacterial diseases of rice(Oryza sativa L.). During plant defense responses, micro RNAs(mi RNAs) play important roles in regulating disease resistance. However, the functions of mi RNAs in the interaction between rice and Xoo remain relatively uncharacterized. In this study, we compared the mi RNA profiles of the BB resistant rice introgression line F329 and its susceptible recurrent parent Huang-Hua-Zhan(HHZ) at multiple time points after inoculation with Xoo. A total of 538 known and 312 novel mi RNAs were identified, among which only 17 and 26 were responsive to Xoo infection in F329 and HHZ, respectively. Compared with the expression levels in HHZ, 37 up-regulated and 53 down-regulated mi RNAs were detected in F329. The predicted target genes for the mi RNAs differentially expressed between F329 and HHZ were revealed to be associated with flavonoid synthesis, the reactive oxygen species regulatory pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, defense responses, and growth and development.Additionally, the patterns of interactions between osa-mi R390-3 p, novel_mi R_104, novel_mi R_238,osa-mi R166 k-5 p, osa-mi R529 b, and osa-mi R167 h-3 p and their target genes were further validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, we overexpressed osa-mi R167 h-3 p in transgenic plants and proved that this mi RNA positively regulates the resistance of rice to BB. These results provide novel information regarding the mi RNA-based molecular mechanisms underlying the disease resistance of rice. The data presented herein may be useful for engineering rice BB resistance via mi RNAs.

Resistance Evaluation of Indica Rice Varieties with Bacterial Blight Resistance Genes Xa21 and Xa23 under Different Genetic Backgrounds

[Objectives]The paper was to evaluate the resistance of indica rice varieties with bacterial blight resistance genes Xa21 and Xa23 under different genetic backgrounds.[Methods]The rice materials with bacterial blight resistance genes Xa21 or Xa23 were used as the donors,and those without the genes were used as the receptors.By back crossing,composite crossing and other methods,combined with molecular marker-assisted selection(MAS),the materials with Xa21 or Xa23 gene,and their sister lines with/without Xa21 or Xa23 gene were inoculated with 7 widely used physiological races of Xanthomonas oryzae,and the resistance of the materials to bacterial blight was analyzed.[Results]The proportions of cumulative resistance(HR,R,MR)of rice materials with resistance gene Xa21 were HNA1-4/PXO86(84.62%)>YN24(82.14%)>GD1358(73.08%)>PXO99(67.86%)>GDA2(63.33%)>FuJ(6.67%),indicating that the materials with Xa21 gene had no resistance to bacterial blight induced by strain FuJ,but for other strains,there were still 36.67%-15.38%of the materials susceptible to the disease.The cumulative resistance(HR,R,MR)of the materials with Xa23 gene was over 76%,but there were still 23.02%-15.52%of the materials that had no resistance to the 7 strains.The analysis of variation coefficient of lesion length showed that the resistance of materials with Xa21 or Xa23 genes varied among strains,or the resistance to the same strain varied among materials.Correlation analysis demonstrated that there was significant or extremely significant positive correlation between strain GDA2 or HNA1-4 and other 6 corresponding strains in the materials with Xa21 gene,and there was extremely significant positive correlation between strain YN24,GD1358 or PXO86 and other 6 corresponding strains in the materials with Xa23 gene.Selection of these strains for resistance identification could improve the efficiency of breeding.Analysis of sister lines showed that bacterial blight resistance of Xa21 or Xa23 genes was related to the donor of the materials.Correlation analysis showed that the resistance of the materials with Xa21 gene had extremely significant positive correlation with parents(R=0.5725**),and the resistance of the materials with Xa23 gene had significant positive correlation with parents(R=0.2212*).[Conclusions]The study provides the reference for molecular resistance breeding of bacterial blight.

Resistance Evaluation of Dominant Varieties against Rice Blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) and Bacterial Blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae) in Guangzhou, China

The resistance of dominant rice varieties in Guangzhou against rice blast(Magnaporthe oryzae)and bacterial blight(Xanthomonas oryzae pv.oryzae)were evaluated by artificial inoculation and field natural blast nursery identification.Among 11 varieties tested,seven varieties showed resistance to rice blast,accounting for 63.6%;two varieties were highly resistant,accounting for 18.2%;three varieties were resistant,accounting for 27.3%;two varieties were moderately resistant,accounting for 18.2%;four varieties were susceptible(moderately susceptible),accounting for 36.4%.Varieties showed different resistance against the prevailing pathotype IV of bacterial blight;one variety was resistant,accounting for 9.1%;three varieties were moderately resistant,accounting for 27.3%;five varieties were moderately susceptible,accounting for 45.5%;one variety was susceptible,accounting for 9.1%;one variety was highly susceptible,accounting for 9.1%;all varieties tested showed susceptible to the virulent pathotype V.Huanghuazhan,Yuejingsimiao 2 and Fengxiuzhan showed resistance against both bacterial blight(pathotype IV)and rice blast,accounting for 27.3%.It is helpful to reduce the production risk by extending such dominant rice varieties with good resistance to rice blast and bacterial blight.

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.

Analyses of gene effects and inheritance of resistance to bacterial blight in rice

We analyzed the resistant inheritance of ajaponica variety,Jia23,to two bacterial blightpathogen strains,KS-6-6 and Zhe 173,rep-resenting respectively the two predominantpathogenic types(Ⅱ and Ⅳ)in the rice crop-ping area along the Yangtze River Valley.Jia23 was crossed with susceptible vari-eties,Ewan8 and 7416.Fplants were back-

Primary study on the resistance to bacterial blight(X. oryzae)in Cecropin B gene transgenic rices

Bacterial blight (BB) is one of the major dis-eases to rice. Antibacterial Cecropin B genehas been cloned and transformed into rice. Westudied the resistance to bacterial blight inCecropin B gene transgenic rices.Rice variety JYll9 transformed withCecropin B gene by particle bombardment andprogenies were randomly planted in the field in