Transfer of bacterial blight and blast resistance from the tetraploid wild rice Oryza minuta to cultivated rice, Oryza sativa.

Oryza minuta J. S. Presl ex C. B. Presl is a tetraploid wild rice with resistance to several insects and diseases, including blast (caused by Pyricularia grisea) and bacterial blight (caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae). To transfer resistance from the wild species into the genome of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), backcross progeny (BC1, BC2, and BC3) were produced from interspecific hybrids of O. sativa cv 'IR31917-45-3-2' (2n=24, AA genome) and O. minuta Acc. 101141 (2n=48, BBCC genomes) by backcrossing to the O. sativa parent followed by embryo rescue. The chromosome numbers ranged from 44 to 47 in the BC1 progeny and from 24 to 37 in the BC2 progeny. All F1 hybrids were resistant to both blast and bacterial blight. One BC1 plant was moderately susceptible to blast while the rest were resistant. Thirteen of the 16 BC2 progeny tested were resistant to blast; 1 blast-resistant BC2, plant 75-1, had 24 chromosomes. A 3 resistant: 1 susceptible segregation ratio, consistent with the action of a major, dominant gene, was observed in the BC2F2 and BC2F3 generations. Five of the BC1 plants tested were resistant to bacterial blight. Ten of the 21 BC2 progeny tested were resistant to Philippine races 2, 3, and 6 of the bacterial blight pathogen. One resistant BC2, plant 78-1, had 24 chromosomes. The segregation of reactions of the BC2F2, BC2F3, and BC2F4 progenies of plant 78-1 suggested that the same or closely linked gene(s) conferred resistance to races 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the bacterial blight pathogen from the Philippines.