{"id":22680,"date":"2026-11-06T15:21:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/?p=22680"},"modified":"2026-11-06T16:48:05","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T16:48:05","slug":"proteger-o-arroz-portugues-do-genoma-do-fungo-as-solucoes-sustentaveis-com-algas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/proteger-o-arroz-portugues-do-genoma-do-fungo-as-solucoes-sustentaveis-com-algas\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting Portuguese Rice: From Fungal Genomes to Sustainable Solutions from Marine Algae"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rice blast, caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae<\/em> (or Magnaporthe oryzae<\/em>), is one of the most serious threats to rice production in Portugal and worldwide. In areas where rice is intensively cultivated, particularly in the Mondego and Tagus river basins, this pathogen can cause substantial yield losses in highly valued local varieties, such as Lusitano rice. Addressing this disease and developing innovative, sustainable approaches to crop protection requires a thorough understanding of the genetic characteristics of local fungal populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decoding the fungus's DNA to better understand the disease<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Researchers at InnovPlantProtect (InPP) have recently taken an important step by sequencing the complete genome of two Portuguese field isolates of P. oryzae<\/em> : M22.7, collected from wild rice in the Mondego region, and T22.2, obtained from the Lusitano variety in the Tagus region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Using long-read sequencing technology, the research team was able to obtain a more complete picture of the fungus's genome, helping to address a gap in the genetic information available for Portuguese isolates \u2014 information that had not been updated for more than three decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results revealed differences in the genetic characteristics of the two isolates, including those associated with interactions between the pathogen and the plant's defence mechanisms. Although both isolates demonstrated a high capacity to cause disease, the M22.7 isolate does not carry the Avr-Pik gene, which is associated with the recognition of the pathogen by certain rice defence mechanisms.<\/em> This study contributes to a better understanding of how the fungus interacts with the rice plant and provides valuable information for future research into the evolution of the pathogen and its ability to cause disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From research to the search for new solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This knowledge also has practical applications. It helps researchers establish laboratory trials in which the interaction between rice and the fungus can be studied under controlled conditions. InPP has developed an experimental system that reproduces this interaction and can be used to assess new crop protection strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding new ways to protect agricultural crops while reducing environmental impact also involves exploring resources from the sea. Marine algae, for example, contain compounds with potential applications in promoting plant growth and protection. However, before determining whether they can help control a plant disease, it is essential to establish the conditions needed to test this possibility rigorously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With well-characterised Portuguese fungal isolates and this experimental system in place, the research team was able to investigate the potential of extracts obtained from different marine algae, assessing whether they could limit fungal development or stimulate the plant's natural defence mechanisms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Towards greener agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This work creates opportunities for further research into the development of marine-based biopesticides and biostimulants, bringing together genomic research and the valorisation of marine resources in the transition towards more sustainable agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study involved partners from the Portuguese rice sector \u2014 CCDRC, COTArroz and Aparroz \u2014 as well as institutional partners. It was carried out under the \u201cBlue Bioeconomy Pact\u201d Mobilising Agenda, funded by Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and the European Union's NextGenerationEU funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scientific article<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Title:<\/strong> High quality, long-read genome assemblies of two virulent field isolates of Pyricularia oryzae from Portugal<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal:<\/strong> PhytoFrontiers<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authors:<\/strong> Pedro Rosa, Jo\u00e3o Bilro, Ricardo Ramiro and Cristina Azevedo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOI<\/strong>: 10.1094\/PHYTOFR-06-26-0070-A<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A piriculariose, causada pelo fungo Pyricularia oryzae (ou Magnaporthe oryzae), representa uma das amea\u00e7as mais severas \u00e0 produ\u00e7\u00e3o de arroz em Portugal e no mundo. Em regi\u00f5es de cultivo intensivo principalmente nas bacias do Mondego e Tejo, este pat\u00f3geno pode infligir perdas de rendimento dram\u00e1ticas em variedades locais muito apreciadas, como o arroz Lusitano. Para […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[270,26,222,281,209,271],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artigo-cientifico","category-blog","category-destaque","category-noticia","category-projecto","category-ultimas"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22680"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22698,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22680\/revisions\/22698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplantprotect.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}