Rice is a staple food for much of the world. Rice is most commonly eaten in many Asian countries. Having study rice plants that can withstand diseases and other factors will have great consequences for many countries. A bacteria might be able to help rice affected by fungus, as a study suggests.
Rice could be vulnerable to a number of diseases as well as the effects of soil condition. A high level of arsenic in water and soil can affect rice. There is also a disease called rice blast that affects it. A student from the University of Delaware is working on a possible solution to these threats to rice.
The research of Jonathan Cottone, a junior from the University of Delaware and Harsh Bais, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, has found that certain microbes could help in boosting the rice plant's ability to protect itself. This could also be a good way to boost rice defense without the use of chemicals.
Their approach is to use a combination of different microbes that could effectively combat rice blast and arsenic in water, according to the University of Delaware's site. Also working with them is Venkatchalam Lakshmanan of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. Two bacteria have been identified that could possibly help rice plants in getting protection.
The first microbe is called Pseudomonas chlororaphis EA105. This microbe can fight rice blast. Another microbe is EA106, which goes to the roots and protects the plant from arsenic. The microbe acts as a shield from it.
The team made lab tests to see if the combination of the two microbes would work, as Science Daily Reports. First they put arsenic into the water, after which they then added in the two microbes. After that they infected the plant with the rice blast fungus. The result of their tests show that the combination of the two microbes have been effective in stopping both arsenic and rice blast infection.
The combination is also essential since the rice blast fungus has been found to be resistant to arsenic as well. The researchers speculate that this is due to evolution, as the fungus has adapted over time to it. By combining the two microbes protection has become more effective. In order to put the microbes into the rice plant, coating the seed with them would be the most effective way of introducing the microbes to the plant.
Rice is a very important grain in the world. Bacteria might be able to help rice affected by fungus as well as by arsenic. This will ensure that rice would always be available for many people in Asia. Also discovered is that the Earth's soil had life that's much older than expected.
