{"id":8752,"date":"2021-01-12T15:38:35","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T15:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=8752"},"modified":"2021-01-12T15:38:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-12T15:38:35","slug":"a-bacterium-inside-the-seeds-of-rice-plants-inhibits-destructive-plant-pathogens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/a-bacterium-inside-the-seeds-of-rice-plants-inhibits-destructive-plant-pathogens\/8752\/","title":{"rendered":"A bacterium inside the seeds of rice plants inhibits destructive plant pathogens"},"content":{"rendered":"
The cultivation of rice plants is very water-intensive and, according to the German aid organisation Welthungerhilfe, around 15% of rice is grown in areas with a high risk of drought. Global warming is therefore becoming increasingly problematic for rice cultivation, leading to smaller harvests and hunger crises<\/a>. Crop failures caused by plant pathogens further aggravate the situation.<\/p>\n The breeding of pathogen resistant plants is the only alternative to pesticides. However, If the plants are resistant to one pathogen thanks to their breeding, they are usually more susceptible to other pathogens or are less robust under adverse environmental conditions.<\/p>\n An international research group which includes the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology has been studying the microbiome of rice plant seeds to establish correlations between plant health and the occurrence of certain microorganisms. They identified a bacterium inside the seed that can lead to complete resistance to a particular pathogen and is naturally transmitted from one plant generation to another.<\/p>\n