News: Scientists from the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (CPMB) have uncovered the mechanism by which a bacterium called Xoo interacts with rice plants and causes disease.
Facts:
- Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo infection): It is a serious bacterial leaf blight disease in rice.It is also known as Bacterial blight.
- Effect: It causes huge yield losses to rice cultivation throughout the world.
- Prevention: The most-common method of defending against rice bacterial blight is the cultivation of rice varieties with genes that confer resistance to Xoo infection.
New approach: Scientists are working on the treatment of rice with cellulase, a cell wall degrading enzyme secreted by Xoo which induces