Durable rice blast resistance through genomic analysis of the host-pathogen interaction

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Rice provides 23% of calories consumed by mankind, and this figure is even higher in many developing countries. In fact, rice is the primary dietary staple for at least 70% of the world's poorest people. In Sub-Saharan Africa, most countries have adopted rice as a strategic crop in their food security policies in order to meet the needs of their growing urban populations. One of the biggest constraints on rice production in Sub-Saharan Africa is a devastating disease called rice blast. This disease can cause losses of up to 50% of the rice harvest in these regions, causing severe economic problems for farmers and leading to rice shortages and a greater need for importation of rice at high prices. This project aims to characterise populations of the pathogen that causes rice blast using genome sequencing, in order to determine its variability and capacity to cause disease on the most widely grown rice varieties. We then aim to use this knowledge to identify novel sources of resistance from world-wide rice stocks and, in particular, rice varieties especially bred to thrive in African growing conditions. We will then use modern, marker-assisted plant breeding approaches to create durably resistant rice varieties for use by growers in Sub-Saharan Africa. During the course of the project we will carry out training of four post-doctoral research fellows, who will spend significant amounts of time working in the region, and who will disseminate skills in molecular genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. We will also train two PhD students from Sub-Saharan Africa who will work in each member laboratory and receive training in modern genetic and genomic techniques applied to controlling one of the world's most devastating plant diseases.