CCMB finds ‘cure’ for rice infection

■ Discovery blocks bacteria from nipping plant in the bud

To protect rice plants from bacterial infection, researchers at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology have discovered a new plant-bacterial interaction with a class of proteins in the rice plant cells which protects the crop, according to a study published in journal Molecular Plant Pathology which is a publication of the British Society for Plant Pathology.

The bacteria Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae causes a bacterial blight infection in rice. This infection leads to loss of crop and farmers can lose up to 60 per cent of their crop due to the infection.

Rice is one of the major crops in both Telugu states and its loss affects farmers and the population at large.

The team of researchers from CCMB, Dr Ramesh V. Sonit, senior scientist Dr Hitendra K. Patel and research scholar Sohini Deb studied the interactions between the proteins and those of the bacteria to understand how it can

■ THE BACTERIA Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae causes a bacterial blight infection in rice.

■ TI LEADS to loss of crop and farmers can lose up to 60 per cent of their crop due to the infection.

be controlled. In the bacteria, they found the effector named XopQ to suppress the immune response with the class of proteins known as 14-3-3.

It was found that when the bacteria attack the cell-wall of the plant cells the plant activates its immune response system, which secretes proteins and these were found to be suppressed by the bacteria.

When the sequence of the protein is altered, the plant becomes resistant to bacterial infection.

Blocking the bacteria from hijacking the defence response of the plant cells helps the plant to survive and produce the full crop.

The strengthening of the defence offers a good resistance to the plant and will be economically beneficial to the farmers as there is less crop loss.