ABSTRACT
Rice is produced at worldwide levels of approximately half a billion tons annually. Humans consume >90% of the rice production, and half of the world’s human population derives their major caloric intake from rice consumption [1]. Given the ongoing increases in human population, it is reasonable to predict that rice consumption and demand will increase for the next several decades [1]. Pathogens account for 15% of the rice losses ($33 billion between 1975 and 1990 [2]. The most damaging disease of the rice crop is the rice blast disease which is caused by the heterothallic fungus Magnaporthe grisea (Herbert) Barr (anamorph, Pyricularia grisea). This disease is responsible for the loss of 157 million tons of rice worldwide between 1975 and 1990 [3]. Despite the efforts and understanding of the biology of both the fungus and the plant, the disease is still a potential threat for rice production [3].
