Rice Plant Diseases and Their Management: A

Review.

Abstract:
Rice is one of the world’s most important crops, providing food for billions of
people. However, rice plant diseases are a major threat to global food security,
affecting yield, quality, and profitability. The most common rice plant diseases
include blast disease, bacterial leaf blight, sheath blight, stem rot, brown spot,
and false smut, which are caused by various pathogens such as fungi, bacteria,
viruses, and nematodes. The severity of these diseases depends on the virulence
of the pathogens, the susceptibility of the rice varieties, and the environmental
conditions. Management strategies for rice plant diseases involve a combination
of cultural, biological, and chemical methods. These include the use of resistant
rice varieties, cultural practices such as crop rotation and irrigation management,
biological control using beneficial microorganisms, and chemical control with
fungicides and bactericides.

Introduction:
Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important staple crops in the world,
providing a major source of nutrition for billions of people. However, rice
production is threatened by various biotic and abiotic stresses, including pests,
diseases, and environmental factors. Among these, rice plant diseases are a
significant threat to global food security, affecting yield, quality, and profitability.
Rice plant diseases are caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, fungi,
viruses, and nematodes. These pathogens can infect different parts of the rice
plant, including leaves, stems, roots, and panicles, and cause a range of
symptoms, such as leaf spots, wilting, and seed discoloration. Some diseases can
also cause yield losses of up to 100%, particularly when environmental conditions
are favorable for disease development. The Incidence and severity of rice plant
diseases are influenced by various factors, such as climate, soil, and crop
management practices. High humidity, warm temperatures, and excessive rainfall
are particularly conducive to the development of foliar diseases, such as blast
disease and bacterial leaf blight. Soil-borne diseases, such as sheath blight and
stem rot, are favored by high soil moisture and temperatures. Preventing and
controlling rice plant diseases requires a combination of management strategies,
including cultural practices, chemical control, and breeding for resistance. Cultural
practices, such as crop rotation, seed treatment, and irrigation management, can
reduce the incidence and severity of rice plant diseases. Chemical control, such as
the use of fungicides and bactericides, can be an effective strategy for managing
rice plant diseases.

Importance of Rice Production:

Rice is the primary food source for over 3 billion people worldwide, providing
over 20% of global dietary energy intake. In many countries, especially in Asia,
rice is a staple food that is consumed daily, providing a significant portion of daily
caloric intake. Additionally, rice production is a critical source of income for
millions of farmers and rural communities, especially in developing countries
where agriculture is the primary source of livelihood. Despite the importance of
rice production, it faces several challenges. Climate change, water scarcity, and
environmental degradation are significant threats to rice production, impacting
crop yield, quality, and profitability. Additionally, plant diseases caused by
pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes are a significant
concern, causing significant losses in yield and quality.

Types of Rice Plant Diseases and their management:

Rice plant diseases can be caused by a range of pathogens, including bacteria,
fungi, viruses, nematodes, and others. The most common rice plant diseases
include bacterial leaf blight, blast disease, sheath blight, brown spot disease.

Blast Disease:

Blast disease is one of the most destructive and widespread rice plant diseases,
affecting both yield and grain quality. It is caused by the fungus Magnaporthe
oryzae and can infect all parts of the rice plant, including leaves, stems, panicles,
and seeds. Blast disease can cause lesions, leaf blight, neck blast, and panicle
blast, resulting in reduced photosynthetic efficiency, lodging, and reduced grain
quality.

Management of blast disease involves a combination of cultural, biological, and

chemical methods. The use of resistant rice varieties is one of the most effective
and sustainable methods of controlling blast disease. Resistance to blast disease is
complex, and various mechanisms of resistance have been identified, including
physical, chemical, and genetic mechanisms. The development of resistant rice
varieties involves the identification and deployment of genes conferring
resistance to blast disease, followed by the development of high-yielding varieties
with the desired agronomic traits. Cultural practices can also be used to manage
blast disease. These include crop rotation, irrigation management, and the use of
clean seed. Crop rotation involves the alternation of rice with other crops, which
can help to reduce the buildup of blast disease inoculum in the soil. Irrigation
management involves the regulation of water use to reduce the humidity in the
rice field, which can reduce the severity of blast disease. The use of clean seed
involves the use of seed that has been tested and certified to be free of blast
disease.

Biological control using beneficial microorganisms is another approach to

managing blast disease. Various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and
viruses, have been identified as potential biocontrol agents against blast disease.
These microorganisms can either directly inhibit the growth of the pathogen or
induce systemic resistance in the rice plant.

Chemical control using fungicides is also an effective method of managing blast

disease. Fungicides can be applied preventatively or curatively to control blast
disease. However, the overuse of fungicides can lead to the development of
resistance in the pathogen, and there is a risk of environmental contamination.
Bacterial Leaf Blight:

Bacterial leaf blight is a major disease of rice, caused by the bacterium

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryza. This disease can cause severe damage to rice
crops, resulting in reduced yield and grain quality. Bacterial leaf blight is
characterized by the appearance of water-soaked lesions on the leaves, which
later turn yellow and necrotic. In severe cases, the lesions can coalesce and cause
the entire leaf to wilt and die.

Management of bacterial leaf blight involves a combination of cultural, biological,

and chemical methods. The use of resistant rice varieties is one of the most
effective and sustainable methods of controlling bacterial leaf blight. Resistance
to bacterial leaf blight is complex, and various mechanisms of resistance have
been identified, including the presence of hypersensitive response genes and the
production of defence-related compounds.

Biological control using beneficial microorganisms is another approach to

managing bacterial leaf blight. Various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi,
and viruses, have been identified as potential biocontrol agents against bacterial
leaf blight. These microorganisms can either directly inhibit the growth of the
pathogen or induce systemic resistance in the rice plant.

Chemical control using bactericides is also an effective method of managing

bacterial leaf blight. Bactericides can be applied preventatively or curatively to
control bacterial leaf blight. However, the overuse of bactericides can lead to the
development of resistance in the pathogen, and there is a risk of environmental
contamination.

Sheath Blight:

Sheath blight is a common and destructive disease of rice, caused by the fungus
Rhizoctonia solani. This disease can cause significant yield losses and reduce grain
quality, and is characterized by the development of white, cottony mycelia on the
leaf sheaths and stems of rice plants. Eventually, the infected tissues become
water-soaked and turn brown, leading to lodging and plant death.

Management of sheath blight involves a combination of biological, and chemical

methods. The use of resistant rice varieties is one of the most effective and
sustainable methods of controlling sheath blight. Resistance to sheath blight is
complex, and various mechanisms of resistance have been identified, including
the production of defence-related compounds and the presence of genes that
confer tolerance to the pathogen.
Biological control using beneficial microorganisms is another approach to
managing sheath blight. Various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and
viruses, have been identified as potential biocontrol agents against sheath blight.
These microorganisms can either directly inhibit the growth of the pathogen or
induce systemic resistance in the rice plant.

Chemical control using fungicides is also an effective method of managing sheath

blight. Fungicides can be applied preventatively or curatively to control sheath
blight. However, the overuse of fungicides can lead to the development of
resistance in the pathogen, and there is a risk of environmental contamination.

Brown Spot:

Brown spot is a common fungal disease of rice caused by Bipolaris oryzae. The
disease is characterized by the development of oval or elliptical brown lesions
with a yellow halo on the leaves, stems, and grains of rice plants. These lesions
can coalesce and cause significant yield losses by reducing photosynthesis and
decreasing the grain quality.
Management of brown spot involves a combination of cultural, biological, and
chemical methods. One of the most effective methods for managing brown spot is
the use of resistant varieties. Breeding for resistance to brown spot has been
successful, and many rice varieties with resistance to this disease have been
developed. Resistant varieties can help reduce the severity of the disease,
especially in areas with a high risk of infection.

Cultural practices can also be used to manage brown spot. These practices include
crop rotation, sanitation, and avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilization. Crop
rotation can help reduce the build-up of inoculum in the soil, while sanitation
practices like removing and destroying infected crop residues can help reduce the
amount of inoculum in the field. Avoiding excessive nitrogen fertilization can help
reduce the susceptibility of rice plants to brown spot.

Biological control is another approach to managing brown spot. Various

biocontrol agents, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, have been identified as
potential agents against brown spot. These agents can either directly inhibit the
growth of the pathogen or induce systemic resistance in the rice plant.

Chemical control using fungicides is also an effective method of managing brown

spot. Fungicides can be applied preventatively or curatively to control brown spot.
However, the overuse of fungicides can lead to the development of resistance in
the pathogen, and there is a risk of environmental contamination.
Conclusion:
Rice plant diseases are a significant threat to rice production worldwide,
impacting yield, quality, and profitability. The most common rice plant diseases
are bacterial leaf blight, blast disease, sheath blight, brown spot diseases.
Symptoms of rice plant diseases can include leaf symptoms, stem symptoms, and
panicle symptoms. Preventing and controlling rice plant diseases requires a
combination of management strategies, including cultural practices, chemical
control, and breeding for resistance. As the global population continues to grow,
and climate change poses increasing challenges to agriculture, the development
of effective disease management strategies is crucial to ensuring food security
and sustainability.

References:
[1] M. E. Pothen and D. M. L. Pai, “Detection of Rice Leaf Diseases Using Image
Processing,” Proc. 4th Int. Conf. Comput. Methodol. Commun. ICCMC 2020, no.
Iccmc, pp. 424–430, 2020, doi: 10.1109/ICCMC48092.2020.ICCMC-00080.

[2] S. Kaur, S. Pandey, and S. Goel, “Plants Disease Identification and Classification
Through Leaf Images: A Survey,” Arch. Comput. Methods Eng., vol. 26, no. 2, pp.
507–530, 2019, doi: 10.1007/s11831-018-9255-6.
[3] R. Sujatha, J. M. Chatterjee, N. Jhanjhi, and S. N. Brohi, “Performance of deep
learning vs machine learning in plant leaf disease detection,” Microprocess.
Microsyst., vol. 80, p. 103615, Feb. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.micpro.2020.103615.

[4] K. P. Ferentinos, “Deep learning models for plant disease detection and
diagnosis,” Comput. Electron. Agric., vol. 145, no. September 2017, pp. 311–318,
2018, doi: 10.1016/j.compag.2018.01.009.

[5] K. Ahmed, T. R. Shahidi, S. M. Irfanul Alam, and S. Momen, “Rice leaf disease
detection using machine learning techniques,” 2019 Int. Conf. Sustain. Technol.
Ind. 4.0, STI 2019, vol. 0, pp. 1–5, 2019, doi: 10.1109/STI47673.2019.9068096.

[6] S. V. Vasantha, B. Kiranmai, and S. R. Krishna, “Techniques for Rice Leaf

Disease Detection using Machine LearningAlgorithms,” vol. 9, no. 8, pp. 162–166,
2021.

[7] M. Suresha, K. N. Shreekanth, and B. V. Thirumalesh, “Recognition of diseases

in paddy leaves using knn classifier,” 2017 2nd Int. Conf. Converg. Technol. I2CT
2017, vol. 2017- Janua, pp. 663–666, 2017, doi: 10.1109/I2CT.2017.8226213.

[8] S. Ramesh and D. Vydeki, “Recognition and classification of paddy leaf diseases
using Optimized Deep Neural network with Jaya algorithm,” Inf. Process. Agric.,
vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 249–260, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.inpa.2019.09.002.

[9] S. Ramesh and D. Vydeki, “Rice blast disease detection and classification using
machine learning algorithm,” Proc. - 2nd Int. Conf. Micro-Electronics
Telecommun. Eng. ICMETE 2018, pp. 255–259, 2018, doi:
10.1109/ICMETE.2018.00063.
[10] A. Islam, N. Rahman Shuvo, M. Shamsojjaman, S. Hasan, S. Hossain, and T.
Khatun, “An Automated Convolutional Neural Network Based Approach for Paddy
Leaf Disease Detection,” Int. J. Adv. Comput. Sci. Appl., vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 280–
288, 2021, doi: 10.14569/IJACSA.2021.0120134.

[11] T. Islam, M. Sah, S. Baral, and R. Roychoudhury, “A Faster Technique on Rice

Disease Detectionusing Image Processing of Affected Area in Agro-Field,” Proc.
Int. Conf. Inven. Commun. Comput. Technol. ICICCT 2018, no. Icicct, pp. 62–66,
2018, doi: 10.1109/ICICCT.2018.8473322.

[12] V. Singh and A. K. Misra, “Detection of plant leaf diseases using image
segmentation and soft computing techniques,” Inf. Process. Agric., vol. 4, no. 1,
pp. 41–49, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.inpa.2016.10.005.

[13] T. Daniya and S. Vigneshwari, “A review on machine learning techniques for

rice plant disease detection in agricultural research,” Int. J. Adv. Sci. Technol., vol.
28, no. 13, pp. 49–62, 2019.

[14] T. Bera, A. Das, J. Sil, and A. K. Das, A survey on rice plant disease
identification using image processing and data mining techniques, vol. 814.
Springer Singapore, 2019.