1. ESTABLISHING A “MICROBIAL–PLANT” INTERFACE AS A MEANS TO CONTROL RICE BLAST DISEASE
Humboldt Conference:17th to 20th July 2012
By Dr. Njiruh Paul Nthakanio
Kenya Polytechnic University College
Collaboraors: Kanya James Ireri, Kimani John Munji Wajogu Rapheal Kinyanjui

2. TOPIC OF FOCUS BIOPROSPECTING: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS
NATIONAL GOAL – INCREASE FOOD SECURITY

3. INTRODUCTION Kenya is faced with serious food insecurity .
Consequences;
a) Famine and death
b) Food imports at expense of
developmental projects
c) Economic insecurity

4. Cause of food shortage Disease Agronomic practices
Post harvest handling

5. Blast Disease in Rice
Rice blast (Pyricularia grisea) is responsible for over $5 billion in yield loss.
In ongoing project we intend to produce hybrid rice that is resistant to blast.

6. Rice attacked by Blast

7. ENORMOUS POWER OF MICROBES
Number of bacteria:
Molecular Sequence:
CROP / ANIMAL DISEASE CONTROL
FIX CARBONDIOXIDE (PHOTOSYNTHESIS)
FIX NITROGEN
BIOFUEL
FOOD PROCESSING
NEW BREED OF CROPS
GENE THERAPY

8. 1.2 PROBLEM IN RICE PRODUCTION
Overall problem: Food shortage
Specific problems to deal with;
Blast fungus (Pyricularia grisea) .
No good breeding technologies
Post harvest handling

9. JUSTIFICCATION Hybridization can increase yield by 30%
Blast Control safe up to up $5billion worth of yield
This can significantly increase rice yield.

10. Objectives
To isolate bacteria and fungi with anti-rice blast fungus (Pyricularia grisea) effect.
Determine the right dose of anti-rice blast fungus inoculum for rice seeds and soil (interface) useful in P. grisea control.
Use Aagrobacteria tumefaciens in transforming rice with Pyricularia grisea disease resistance genes
Determine viability of utilizing nitrogen fixing rhizobium bacteria in rice as a way of increasing rice nutrition and blast resistance
Determine the ability of increasing blast resistance through hybridization

11. MATERIALS AND METHODS MATERIALS Rice – PGMS/TGMS and Basmati
Microbes: Blast fungi
Blast antagonist fungi
Blast antagonistic bacteria
Nitrogen fixing bacteria

12. METHODS A MIROBIAL –PLANT INTERFACE
1. INTERFACE I: USE OF AGROBACTERIUM
TUMEFACIENSNTO INSERT ESSENTIAL GENES
To be used as an agent of transferring a blast disease resistant genes into rice
Vector needed – Ti-plasmid
Vector gene construct
RCC2 gene construct
Challenge –Recalcitrant nature of cereals

13. INTERFACE 2 :USE OFBACTERIA ANTAGNONISTS
EXAMPLES INCLUDE: Pseudomonas, Actinomyctes and Bacillus
Mode of action : produce products antagonistic to bacteria fungi
Antagonistic Selection
Bacterial farming
Product development

14. INTERFACE III FUNGAL ANTAGOONIST
Examples : Trichoderma spp., Penicillium, Myrothecium verrucaria, Chaetomium globosum and Laerisaria arvalis (Vasudevan et al., 2002).

15. INTERFACE IV: Use of microbes to enhance available nutrition
Example : Rhizobium spp
Some naturally occurring Rhizobium oryzae sp. have been isolated in wild rice Oryza alta (Peng et al 2008; Wani (1985).

16. UTILIZATION OF PLANT DIVERSITY
USE OF HYBRIZATION METHOD
Creation of female parent
- Photogenic Male Sterile or Thermogenic
sensitive rice strains X Basmati
- Doubled Haploid to fix genes
- Transforming calluses with Blast resistant
gene

17. Difficulties of producing Basmati Hybrid Rice

18. Designing a Molecular Machine
Ingredient
Powerful gene promoter to produce
molecules
High capacities molecule producers (cell)

19. Recommendation
High throughput system is needed to exploit microbial capabilities and potential
We need to think beyond current technological limitations in food production
Discipline human capital of multidisciplinary background (Biologist, Engineering, lawyers, marketers, policy makers, mathematicians, ICT, Bioinfomaticians etc)

20. Where to prospect
Organisms –Genomes-Proteome -Systems (System Biology)

21. Acknowledgement
NCST
Humboldt
IRRI
KARI
NoU
NIB

22. END
THANK YOU