Understanding molecular mechanism of sheath blight resistance in rice

Rice sheath blight, caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, cause up to 50% yield loss in a susceptible cultivar. No complete resistance against sheath blight has been identified in either commercial rice cultivars or wild related species. The genes found on the QTL regions associated with sheath blight may have critical role in conferring disease resistance. This project aims to molecularly characterize genes involved in lignin biosynthesis and regulation.