Recent advances in understanding the pathogen’s life cycle, infection biology, and epidemiological factors provide a basis for a transition to an integrated management framework incorporating forecasting models, genome editing, and microbiome-informed interventions for more sustainable and effective control of rice false smut.
Abstract
False smut of rice, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, has emerged as a serious threat to global rice production, resulting in substantial yield and grain quality losses. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the pathogen’s life cycle, infection biology, and epidemiological factors, while highlighting the limitations of current management strategies that rely predominantly on fungicide applications. U. virens exhibits a unique biotrophic infection strategy, colonizing floral tissues without specialized infection structures and manipulating host physiology through a diverse repertoire of effectors that suppress immunity, alter hormonal signaling, and hijack sugar transport systems to facilitate nutrient diversion and smut ball formation. Integrating molecular mechanisms with epidemiological factors such as climate variability and inoculum dynamics provides important insights into disease development and spread. Recent progress in artificial intelligence has enabled the development of predictive modeling frameworks, while advances in spectral imaging and molecular diagnostics offer promising tools for early detection and disease forecasting. In the absence of identified resistance rice cultivars, genome editing and microbiome-based strategies are viable alternative approaches for durable disease control. These advances together provide a basis for a transition to an integrated management framework incorporating forecasting models, genome editing, and microbiome-informed interventions for more sustainable and effective control of rice false smut.
Current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat-Pst interactions are synthesized, key advances in understanding their reciprocal communication are highlighted, and emerging directions for developing durable resistance are discussed.
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Maize sheath blight, caused by the soil-borne necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani Kühn, constitutes a pervasive threat to global maize production. Particularly severe epidemics have been documented across China’s three major cultivation regions: the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, Northeast China, and Southwest China. Annual yield losses routinely range from 10% to 20%, and can exceed 35% under conditions of high inoculum density. The escalating prevalence of this disease is driven by the convergence of intensified agronomic practices—specifically higher planting densities and prolonged monocropping—and the altered environmental pressures of global climate change. This review synthesizes current knowledge regarding the biological complexity and genetic differentiation of the pathogen, the spatiotemporal dynamics of host infection and histopathology, and the mechanistic contributions of core virulence arsenals. We explicitly distinguish between mechanisms validated in maize, those conserved across hosts, and those requiring further verification in maize systems. Most importantly, we provide an in-depth analysis of how these mechanistic insights can be translated into actionable strategies for improving maize resistance and developing sustainable green management technologies. By identifying critical gaps in our molecular understanding, we delineate priority research trajectories aimed at deciphering the intricate pathogenic network and fostering the development of sustainable, green management strategies.
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Molecular insights of host–pathogen interactions offer decoding of sustainable strategies for developing resilient cultivars and effective management of false smut disease, highlighting stage-specific pathogenicity genes and rice defense mechanisms that control false smut disease development.
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