New rice variety immune to Yellow Stem Borer

Genetic scientists from Hyderabad, for the first time in the country, have developed an exclusive line of rice, which is resistant to Yellow Stem Borer (YSB), a prolific rice pest in India that can cause 20-60 per cent loss in the production of rice.Not many Indian rice varieties are naturally resistant to YSB and the most common method farmers employ to manage the pest is through the application of chemical pesticides.

Researchers from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) have collaborated to develop the unique line of rice.

The CCMB-ICAR-IIRR study, published in Springer Nature (May 7, 2024), said the researchers “unravelled the mechanisms that might help rice to combat Yellow Stem Borer infestation, thus providing insights and scope for developing YSBresistant rice varieties”.

The effective management of the YSB infestation is challenged by the nonavailability of adequate sources of resistance and the poor understanding of resistance mechanisms, the researchers said. In addition to yield loss, the YSB pest can infest rice plants at any stage from seedlings to maturing panicles, making it a persistent threat throughout the growing season.

Research was held to understand molecular basis of YSB resistance in rice and the study reports the involvement of biomolecules such as phenypropanoids in YSB resistance.

This article has been republished from The Telangana Today