The lethal weaponry of a fungus which has brought devastation to rice fields around the world has been discovered by scientists in a breakthrough that will help researchers to develop ways to tackle it.
Rice is the world's most important crop, with nearly half of the global population relying on successful harvests. The fungus destroys enough rice to feed 60 million people a year.
By understanding how the fungus attacks, scientists believe they will be able to formulate more effective fungicides and create genetically modified crops that can resist the pathogen.
"This is hugely important," said Martin Gilbert, a plant biologist at Exeter University in England. "Rice is especially important in the developing world and any handle we can get on better ways of tackling the fungus will help reduce the devastation it causes."
The rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe grisea, destroys the plants by puncturing holes in the leaves and slowly injecting proteins that break down the plant tissues. The fungus infiltrates and devours the plant.
The fungus is believed to be present in at least 85 countries and can infect domestic grasses; even burning rice crops to try to contain it is not always effective. In many parts of the world, it is resistant to fungicides and to genetic modifications created by plant breeders.
Researchers at Exeter University discovered a gene which is necessary for the fungus to secrete the plant-destroying enzymes.
Some rice plants are able to detect the fungus' attack in time and can launch a defense by either beefing up cell walls or killing off leaves. But the specific signals the rice plant uses to detect the attack have remained a mystery.
In tests, the researchers knocked out a gene in the fungus, known as MgAPT2, and found that this in effect disarmed it. The change also triggered no defense mechanism in rice plants.
"We know this gene is absolutely required for the fungus to cause disease," Gilbert said.
The study was published in the journal Nature yesterday. Further work will focus on the variety of molecules the fungus pumps into rice plants; researchers know that only some trigger the self-defense system, and if those can be identified they could be incorporated into fungicides.
Last year, an international team of scientists decoded the entire genome of the fungus, hoping this would reveal other weaknesses that could be exploited to kill it or make rice more resistant.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned