Phenotypic characterization of rice Bipolaris oryzae in Fogera plains

Abstract

Rice (Oryzae sativa L.) is one of the most important cereal crops on which an ever-increasing population is dependent for food globally. However, constraints associated with infectious diseases, notably brown spot transmitted by seed and wind reduced its production and productivity. This study was conducted to characterize Bipolaris oryzae isolates morphologically in Fogera plain, Amhara region of Ethiopia. Twenty-nine B. oryzae isolates were collected from Dera, Fogera, and Libokemkem districts and characterized morphologically at the Ambo Agricultural Research Center plant pathology laboratory. These isolates were grouped into nine categories on their colony morphology and growth pattern. About 34.48% of the isolates showed black with fluffy growth pattern, while 68.96% of the conidia shape were slightly curved. Moreover, 58.62% of 29 isolates was initially hyaline. Fast, moderate and slow mycelial growth habits were also observed in 29 isolates, from 3.07 to 15.49 μm in length and from 1.00 to 4.27 μm in breadth conidia size and from 1.52 × 109 to 1.80 × 1010/ml sporulation rates. Therefore, knowing such characteristics is crucial and it needs to identify the pathogen inherent genetic characteristics of the above isolates for fruitful management recommendations.

Keywords

• Bipolaris oryzae
• colony
• isolate
• morphological characterization
• rice
• sporulation