Strigolactone-mediated rice resistance to sheath blight disease for sustainable crop protection
Texas Tech University researchers are investigating how strigolactone (SL) plant hormones can enhance rice resistance to sheath blight disease caused by Rhizoctonia solani, a pathogen responsible for up to 45% yield loss worldwide. The project aims to dissect SL biosynthetic and signaling pathways to develop SBD-resistant rice varieties through genetic manipulation, with potential extension to other crops.
Overview
Sheath blight disease (SBD), caused by the fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, is one of the most damaging diseases in rice, contributing to yield losses of up to 45% globally. This project investigates the role of strigolactones (SLs)—a class of plant hormones—in regulating rice defense responses against SBD. Preliminary field and laboratory findings indicate that rice mutants impaired in SL biosynthesis (d10, d17, d27) or SL signaling (d3) show increased susceptibility to R. solani compared to wild-type plants, suggesting that SLs positively regulate disease resistance.
The research aims to dissect the biochemical and molecular mechanisms by which SLs confer protection against SBD, ultimately enabling the development of SBD-resistant rice through genetic manipulation of SL pathways. The team is also open to extending the investigation to other crops of strategic interest to potential partners.
Technical specifications
Research approach:
- Comparative analysis of SL-biosynthetic mutants (d10, d17, d27) and SL-signaling mutant (d3) versus wild-type rice under natural field conditions and controlled laboratory re-infection assays
- Multi-omics profiling of frozen plant samples, including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and hormonomics (hormone profiling)
- Antioxidant enzyme assays to assess oxidative stress responses during pathogen infection
- Mechanistic dissection of SL-mediated defense signaling pathways
Key findings to date:
- SL mutants, but not wild-type plants, develop typical SBD symptoms—irregular lesions with greyish centers and dark brown margins on sheaths and leaf blades
- Pathogen re-isolation and re-infection confirmed disease causality
- Nine years of prior research on SL signaling provides a strong foundation for mechanistic studies
Technology readiness level
The project is at an early-to-mid stage of basic research validation. Preliminary proof-of-concept data from field trials and laboratory re-infection experiments have been obtained, confirming the role of SLs in SBD resistance. The team is now seeking partnership support to fund a one-year plan involving transcriptomic, metabolomic, hormonomic, and antioxidant analyses, along with postdoctoral research personnel. Successful completion of these studies will lay the groundwork for genetic strategies to develop SBD-resistant rice cultivars, with potential translational applications across other important crop species.
About Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University is a large, comprehensive public research university in Lubbock and an anchor of the Texas Tech University System, coupling academic breadth with applied, collaborative research. Industry partners engage through a research park and incubator, co-located labs, shared core facilities, and West Texas field sites for pilot-scale and real-world testing. Proximity to the Permian Basin and regional manufacturing, plus collaboration with the system’s health sciences center, creates clear pathways for product development, clinical translation, and talent pipelines. Research is supported by competitive federal funding from agencies such as NSF, DOE, USDA, NIH, DoD, and NASA, and a dedicated technology transfer office streamlines IP, licensing, startup formation, and corporate contracting.
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