Frontiers in Plant Science (May 2022)

Rhizoctonia solani Kühn Pathophysiology: Status and Prospects of Sheath Blight Disease Management in Rice

  • Manoranjan Senapati,
  • Ajit Tiwari,
  • Neha Sharma,
  • Priya Chandra,
  • Bishnu Maya Bashyal,
  • Ranjith Kumar Ellur,
  • Prolay Kumar Bhowmick,
  • Haritha Bollinedi,
  • K. K. Vinod,
  • Ashok Kumar Singh,
  • S. Gopala Krishnan

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.881116
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Sheath blight caused by necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani Kühn is one of the most serious diseases of rice. Use of high yielding semi dwarf cultivars with dense planting and high dose of nitrogenous fertilizers accentuates the incidence of sheath blight in rice. Its diverse host range and ability to remain dormant under unfavorable conditions make the pathogen more difficult to manage. As there are no sources of complete resistance, management through chemical control has been the most adopted method for sheath blight management. In this review, we provide an up-to-date comprehensive description of host-pathogen interactions, various control measures such as cultural, chemical, and biological as well as utilizing host plant resistance. The section on utilizing host plant resistance includes identification of resistant sources, mapping QTLs and their validation, identification of candidate gene(s) and their introgression through marker-assisted selection. Advances and prospects of sheath blight management through biotechnological approaches such as overexpression of genes and gene silencing for transgenic development against R. solani are also discussed.

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