Current Studies on Bakanae Disease in Rice: Host Range, Molecular Identification, and Disease Management

The seed borne disease such as bakanae is difficult to control. Crop yield loss caused by bakanae depending on the regions and varieties grown, ranging from 3.0% to 95.4%. Bakanae is an important disease of rice worldwide and the pathogen was identified as Fusarium fujikuroi Nirenberg (teleomorph: Gibberella fujikuroi Sawada). Currently, four Fusaria (F. fujikuroi, F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides and F. andiyazi) belonging to F. fujikuroi species complex are generally known as the pathogens of bakanae. The infection occurs through both seed and soil-borne transmission. When infection occurs during the heading stage, rice seeds become contaminated. Molecular detection of pathogens of bakanae is important because identification based on morphological and biological characters could lead to incorrect species designation and time-consuming. Seed disinfection has been studied for a long time in Korea for the management of the bakanae disease of rice. As seed disinfectants have been studied to control bakanae, resistance studies to chemicals have been also conducted. Presently biological control and resistant varieties are not widely used. The detection of this pathogen is critical for seed certification and for preventing field infections. In South Korea, bakanae is designated as a regulated pathogen. To provide highly qualified rice seeds to farms, Korea Seed & Variety Service (KSVS) has been producing and distributing certified rice seeds for producing healthy rice in fields. Therefore, the objective of the study is to summarize the recent progress in molecular identification, fungicide resistance, and the management strategy of bakanae.