Harnessing weedy rice as functional food and source of novel traits for crop improvement.

A relative of cultivated rice (Oryza sativa L.), weedy or red rice (Oryza spp.) is currently recognized as the dominant weed, leading to a drastic loss of yield of cultivated rice due to its highly competitive abilities like producing more tillers, panicles, and biomass with better nutrient uptake.

Antimicrobial Traits of Against , the Causal Agent of Sheath Blight of Rice Under Field Conditions.

, an entomopathogenic fungus, has recently drawn attention worldwide not only as a potential biocontrol agent against insect pests but also for its other beneficial roles as plant disease antagonist, endophyte, plant growth promoter, and beneficial rhizosphere colonizer. In the present study, 53 native isolates of were screened for antifungal ability against , the causal agent of sheath blight of rice. Also, the mechanisms underlying such interaction and the responsible antimicrobial traits involved were studied.

Molecular interaction between plants and species against soil-borne plant pathogens.

spp. (Hypocreales) are used worldwide as a lucrative biocontrol agent. The interactions of spp.

Endophytic Beauveria bassiana can protect the rice plant from sheath blight of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani and enhance plant growth parameters.

Beauveria bassiana, a potential entomopathogenic biocontrol agent, has recently drawn attention worldwide for its other additional beneficial roles such as plant disease antagonist, beneficial rhizosphere colonizer, plant growth promoter and an endophyte. In the present study, endophytic colonizing behaviour of five (5) B. bassiana isolates viz.