Rice Blast in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Rice blast, which had not been observed during the last six decades in Puerto Rico, reappeared recently in Manatí and in the Gurabo Substation, affecting Brazos, a cultivar introduced from Texas. Pathogenicity tests, as well as studies on the conidial morphology, showed that the fungus isolated from typical blast lesions is Pyricularia oryzae Cav. The physiology of the fungus and its sporulation on various media also were studied. The optimum temperature range, both for mycelial growth and for germination of conidia, was found to be between 24 to 28° C. Sporulation occurred satisfactorily on potato-dextrose agar enriched with coconut milk, and on steamed corn and barley, and rice-straw-decoction agars. In vitro tests with fungicides benomyl, pentachloronitrobenzene, mancozeb, chloroneb, and captan indicated that the first two compounds are the most effective in inhibiting mycelial growth of P. oryzae