“Rice bacterial blight: Turning new insights in host-pathogen interaction into effective disease management”

Bacterial blight (BB) of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) remains a major constraint to rice production in Asia despite many years of effort in understanding the disease and breeding for resistant cultivars. The more recent outbreaks in East Africa, where bacterial blight was not a major concern in the past, have alarmed the research community to better understand the virulence mechanism of the disease and identify a faster way of controlling the disease. Controlling the incidence and severity of the disease worldwide now and into the future is being complicated by climate change.

The 7th International Conference on Bacterial Blight of Rice (ICBB07) will bring together scientists who are at the forefront of understanding bacterial blight disease holistically, including the genetics, epidemiology and molecular biology of interactions between Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and rice, and including those researchers who are developing new and effective bacterial blight resistant rice cultivars. It is a venue to highlight the latest discoveries and innovations and connect upstream research with its global application in disease management.

In the last 5 years, advances in sequencing and genome editing technology have greatly impacted bacterial blight research and its application. Accurate long-read sequencing technology allows quickly assembly of Xoo genomes and the identification of potential virulence factors in each bacterial isolate. Genome editing technology is increasingly impacting both understanding the virulence mechanism of the bacteria as well as the resistance mechanism of the host.

ICBB07 will allow the gathering of the Bacterial blight community to exchange the most recent discoveries and innovations. The conference will cover various aspects of bacterial blight disease including:

ICBB07 will focus on bridging upstream research with downstream application in disease control and breeding for bacterial blight-resistant cultivars, highlighting impactful research and application.

Objectives:

1. Sharing of recent research findings on bacterial blight of rice, including BB epidemiology, the pathogen virulence and host resistance mechanisms, disease management and BB resistance breeding
2. Promoting awareness and understanding of the impact of bacterial blight of rice on food security and the importance of investing in research and development to address this threat
3. Disseminating information and best practices for controlling bacterial blight of rice, which can help to improve the management of the disease globally
4. Building international collaborations and strengthen existing partnerships between scientists, researchers, and stakeholders
5. Identifying priority areas for future research and investment in controlling bacterial blight of rice