Molecular Mechanisms of Insect Resistance in Rice and Their Application in Sustainable Pest Management

Area of Science:

• Plant Science
• Genomics
• Entomology

Background:

• Insect pests significantly reduce rice yield and quality globally.
• Chemical pesticide use faces growing environmental and regulatory challenges.
• Developing insect-resistant rice is vital for sustainable food security.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in functional genomics and molecular marker mapping for insect resistance in rice.
• To highlight cloned resistance genes and their functional mechanisms against major rice pests.
• To discuss modern breeding strategies and future directions for insect-resistant rice development.

Main Methods:

• Review of functional genomics studies and molecular marker mapping.
• Identification, cloning, and functional analysis of insect resistance genes.
• Analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying rice immunity to insect feeding.

Main Results:

• Several key insect resistance genes (e.g., Bph14, Bph3, Bph29) have been identified and cloned.
• Mechanisms involve insect feeding signal recognition, plant hormone pathways (salicylic acid, jasmonic acid), and signaling cascades (MAPK, calcium, ROS).
• Molecular marker-assisted selection, gene pyramiding, and transgenic techniques are effective breeding tools.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress has been made in understanding and exploiting genetic resistance to rice pests.
• Modern breeding techniques offer pathways to develop durable insect resistance.
• Future efforts should focus on wild rice germplasm, effector-plant interactions, and molecular design breeding for climate resilience.