''Monographella albescens'' is a

fungal A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one of the tradit ...

plant pathogen Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

also known as leaf scald which infects

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

Transmission

Conidia are transferred by water splash.

Host resistance

Lines of rice that are resistant against ''M. albescens'' are available. Most resistance breeding has been in

field trial A field trial is a competitive event for gun dogs. Field trials are conducted for pointing dogs and setters, retrievers and spaniels, with each assessing the different Dog type, types various working traits. In the United States, field trials a ...

s in countries where the disease is already widespread. Even in "resistant" strains, however, there is some noticeable

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no de ...

ing but little to no loss of yield. The mechanism of resistance remains unknown. There is wide variation in pathogen strain-host strain pathogenicity. Rice plants fed increased

silicon Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...

showed increased resistance to ''M. albescens''. Surprisingly this is not - or not entirely - due to its structural role but also due to increased production of various compounds and

enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...

References

External links

Index Fungorum

USDA ARS Fungal Database
* Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Xylariales Fungi described in 1889 Fungus species {{plant-disease-stub