Vsevolod Bazhenov
Rice is the globe’s most important crop but its production is constantly threatened by disease. Now scientists at the University of Exeter have shown for the first time…how the world’s most destructive rice-killer hijacks its plant prey.
In order to infect plants the fungus has to inject its proteins into the plant’s own cells where they overcome the plant’s defences allowing a full scale invasion by the fungus. Until now it’s not been known how the fungus delivers that weaponry, but researchers from the School of Biosciences have identified a single gene that appears to be important in the process.
Professor Nick Talbot, who led the research, said: “We have identified a secretion system that we think is responsible for delivering the fungal weaponry that causes rice-blast disease. We were able to generate a strain of the rice blast fungus which lacks this secretion system and it was completely unable to cause disease. The discovery is significant because it will allow us to identify the fungal proteins which bring about this devastating disease and cause rice plants to die.”
He continues: “It’s estimated that half of the World’s population relies on rice to survive and in one year alone this disease kills enough rice to feed 60 million people, so we hope this discovery will help develop chemicals to inhibit the disease. It’s possible that more specific, environmentally friendly, compounds to combat rice diseases could result from this research.”
Having more food available to feed the world also allows for the cost of that food to diminish.
The problem will be finding a way to fix this. As I understand it, the genetically modified vitamin fortified yellow rice that was supposed to help eliminate malnutrition has beem a flop – the people who need it will not grow it because it is genetically modified.
Bill, what you’ve heard may reinforce your opposition; but, GM rice isn’t being grown anywhere in the world — yet. Trials are still ongoing. Nothing has been released for production.
If you think about how most of the worlds agriculture produces only four crops: wheat, corm, rice and soy. It’s a little scary when something like this comes along. The real cure would be a more diverse crop assortment.
Kent, while I agree about the need for diversity, it was, after all, discovering the ability to propagate cereal crops that moved us off the dime — from hunter/gatherers to primitive agriculture. Over those thousands of years, there have been numerous predominant cereal grains [my personal favorite still being farro]. There is tremendous diversity within what is done with those grains — whether it’s tofu or cattle feed, bread or beer.
Four is doing pretty good.
A interesting PBS special,
was about HOw Grains havent changed over centuries, because of HOw we raise them and FORCE the ones we wish to propigate ONLY.
Rice must be the same, as its not been allowed to adapt, unless we let it/create it…the way we wish it to.
Look up fortified foods, and scare yourself from eating ever again.
Just a tad off topic, but perhaps I’ll be forgiven. Should we eliminate all disease then immunity would soon follow, allowing one, tiny, errant germ molecule to kill off all of humanity. Just my not quite two cents worth.
It is just wrong for chemical companies to own that large a stake in the food supply.
Monsanto tried with GM wheat in Canada and were politely declined. No one wants to buy it, why grow it?
There should be no patents on food. Once a precedent is set the slope gets slipprier. I don’t know about you folks but I’m not keen on being in thrall to a chemical company for my toast.