Five hundred twenty-seven isolates of Pyricularia grisea were collected from trap rice cultivars of indigenous and exotic origin across three seasons at five sites in Thailand. Single conidium isolates were inoculated onto 15 rice lines near-isogenic (NILs) for resistance genes, one recurrent parent, and two local cultivars. One hundred seventy-five pathotypes were identified, of which 160 were represented by fewer than eight isolates. Predicted pathotype number was estimated at greater than 450 for the study region. Significant differences in pathotype diversity were detected across sites, seasons, and among isolates collected from exotic versus indigenous hosts. Isolates and pathotypes with greater numbers of virulence genes (as inferred from compatibility with NILs) were less common than those with fewer virulence genes. Analysis of virulence distributions among isolates grouped according to their MGR586 DNA-fingerprint similarities (i.e., “lineages”) also showed that, for the most commonly represented lineages, isolates with fewer virulence genes predominated. Lineages represented by one or a few isolates had greater numbers of virulence genes. Lower frequency of recovery of isolates with accumulated virulence genes is consistent with an associated fitness penalty. Resistance genes Pi 1, Pi z-5, and Pi ta2 were broadly effective across this population, compatibility with Pi 1 and Pi z-5 was very rare, and no isolate combined compatibility with both genes. Well-represented (more than 20 isolates) MGR586 lineages showed specific incompatibilities with some NILs, but these were restricted to Pi 1 and Pi z-5. No combination of resistance genes would confer resistance across all lineages.

Sexual fertility and mating type distribution of Magnaporthe grisea field isolates collected in Thailand were analyzed from sites previously found to harbor diverse populations of the pathogen. Three hundred forty-one single conidium isolates of M. grisea collected from five sites in north, northeast, and central Thailand were evaluated for in vitro sexual fertility and mating type by pairing with strains of known mating type. Most isolates (67%) were infertile when crossed with the hermaphrodite tester strains; but fertile isolates of each mating type that yielded viable ascospores were detected in all sites from the northeastern and northern regions. MAT1-2 predominated over MAT1-1 in bioassay mating type. Male fertility (female sterility) predominated in fertile MAT1-1 (50 to 75%) and MAT1-2 (50 to 85%) isolates from all locations in Thailand; however, hermaphroditic and/or female fertile isolates were also detected in all but one site. Fertility, as determined by perithecia density, was low (<10 perithecia cm-2) for most isolates, although a few produced in excess of 20 perithecia cm-2.

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Oxidative damage occurring in plant cells under drought stress is a known cause of reduced plant primary production. Decreasing oxidative damage through oxidative stress tolerance is expected to confer drought stress tolerance. In this study, we estimated cross-tolerance to oxidative stress and drought stress for breeding populations and analyzed the effects of the cross-tolerance on dry matter production in field experiments. For a total of 91 rice genotypes, including 72 backcross lines (BCLs), cross-tolerance was estimated from the first principal component score (PCS1) derived from a principal component analysis using a data set with a parameter of chlorophyll fluorescence and cell membrane stability index in both the oxidative and the drought stress treatments as the factors. Generally, the values of PCS1 were segregated in the BCLs, suggesting that cross-tolerance is a heritable trait that can be improved by crossbreeding. The effects of positive and negative PCS1 on dry matter production under flooded and aerobic conditions were tested in field experiments. The decrease in dry matter production under aerobic conditions was smaller for the positive-PCS1 genotypes. However, these genotypes also showed a lower stomatal conductance and smaller shoot biomass, especially under flooded conditions. We concluded that cross-tolerance is a useful trait for improving dry matter production, especially under severe drought stress. In view of the trade-offs between cross-tolerance and dry matter production, it is important to develop rice varieties with an optimal level of cross-tolerance for a target environment characterized by drought stress.