Cross-Compatibility and Distribution of Mating Type Alleles of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe grisea in India

Two hundred twenty-seven isolates of Magnaporthe grisea isolated from blast-infected rice tissues from different states of India were tested with MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 fertile standard testers to determine their mating type. Of the 227 monoconidial isolates, 90 (39.6%) were fertile and 137 (60.4%) were infertile and did not produce perithecia when mated with any of the four testers. In the states of Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh, both mating types were found. In the states of Andaman Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana, and Punjab, only mating type MAT1-1 was identified. In states where MAT1-2 occurred, its frequency was low. Among the 90 fertile isolates, 40 (44.4%) produced perithecia, asci, and ascospores, and 11 of those isolates produced perithecia, asci, and ascospores with both MAT1-2 testers, KA-9 of finger millet, and GUY11 of rice origin. However, when monoconidial isolates were mated among themselves, isolates from the same field produced only barren perithecia. Pathogenicity tests of the ascospore progeny derived from crosses of field isolates and host-specific testers revealed that none of the ascospore progeny were as virulent as the parents, despite showing compatible reactions with both rice and finger millet cultivars. These results indicate that recombinant progeny may be at a selective disadvantage despite having an increased host range. This is the first report of the occurrence of high levels of fertility (24 to 52%) in rice isolates of M. grisea in different states of India. In a Southern blot analysis, 58% of 74 isolates were identified as MAT1-1 and 41% as MAT1-2. In this population, 23 Magnaporthe grisea repeat (MGR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism groups or lineages were identified. In terms of lineage composition, the 18 isolates from Meghalaya showed maximal diversity with nine lineages.