Rice blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe grisea, is the most widespread and damaging fungal disease of rice worldwide. Developing durable resistance to this disease is a major breeding objective. The RESIDIV project aims at improving our knowledge of rice resistance diversity and of the diversity of the pathogen in its ability to attack different varieties (avirulence/virulence).
The resistance gene in Chinese varieties will be characterized by three complementary methods. Several new resistance genes will probably be identified.
Avirulence genes of M. grisea will be identified and mapped. These genes will be cloned, sequenced, and molecular markers will be designed to characterize the diversity of avirulence genes in the Chinese populations of the pathogen.
Characterization of rice resistance and blast avirulence is needed for appropriate resistance gene deployment. The RESIDIV project results will allow breeders to choose the most suitable resistance genes and the best way to use them. This will ensure resistance durability.

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