Rice Blast

Dear Colleagues,

Rice blast, caused by the filamentous ascomycete Magnaporthe oryzae, has become one of the most serious diseases of crops, and it ranks first among the top 10 fungal diseases in plants. In order to establish infections in rice plants, M. oryzae has evolved highly sophisticated and specific infection strategies. Usually, M. oryzae utilizes highly specialized appressoria, which are produced from three-celled conidia on the rice surface, to penetrate host cells therein. Once inside the rice cells, M. oryzae differentiates into invasive hyphae and then spreads to neighboring cells, resulting in the formation of lesions. During its invasive growth, M. oryzae needs to elude rice immunity to adapt to the host milieu. On the other hand, rice plants equip variable and remarkable defense systems to resist the potential attacks of M. oryzae. Currently, the molecular mechanisms of M. oryzae–rice interaction remain largely unknown. For this Special Issue, we seek original research or review articles that focus on the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways in both M. oryzae and rice during M. oryzae–rice interaction.

Dr. Yanjun Kou
Prof. Dr. Xinhua Ding
Dr. Jiehua Qiu
Guest Editors

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• rice blast
• Magnaporthe oryzae
• M. oryzae–rice interaction
• pathogenecity
• disease resistance