Exaggerated myocardial torsion may contribute to dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Aims: Dynamic left ventricular (LV) outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) is associated with symptoms and increased risk of developing heart failure in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The association of LVOTO and LV twist mechanics has not been well studied in HCM. The aim of the study was to compare the pattern of LV twist in patients with HCM associated with asymmetrical septal hypertrophy with and without LVOTO.

Global longitudinal strain as a prognostic marker in cardiac resynchronisation therapy: A systematic review.

Purpose: Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) has proven mortality benefits for heart failure patients with moderate to severe systolic left ventricular dysfunction and evidence of a left bundle branch block. Determining responders to this therapy can be difficult due to the presence of myocardial fibrosis and scar. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) is a robust and sensitive measure of myocardial function and fibrosis that has significant prognostic value for a plethora of cardiac pathologies.

A benefit of high temperature: increased effectiveness of a rice bacterial blight disease resistance gene.

*Continuous planting of crops containing single disease resistance (R) genes imposes a strong selection for virulence in pathogen populations, often rendering the R gene ineffective. Increasing environmental temperatures may complicate R-gene-mediated disease control because high temperatures often promote disease development and reduce R gene effectiveness. Here, performance of one rice bacterial blight disease R gene was assessed in field and growth chamber studies to determine the influence of temperature on R gene effectiveness and durability.

Phenotypic and genetic diversity of rice seed-associated bacteria and their role in pathogenicity and biological control.

Aims: To study the phenotypic and genetic diversity of culturable bacteria associated with rice seed and to asses the antagonistic and pathogenic potential of the isolated bacteria.

Methods And Results: Seed of rice cultivar PSBRc14 was collected from farmers' fields of irrigated lowland in southern Luzon, Philippines. Isolations of distinct colonies yielded 498 isolates.

Effect of a Soil Amendment on the Survival of Ralstonia solanacearum in Different Soils.

ABSTRACT The effect of a soil amendment (SA) composed of urea (200 kg of N per ha) and CaO (5,000 kg/ha) on the survival of Ralstonia solanacearum in four Philippine soils was investigated in a series of laboratory experiments. Within 3 weeks after application, the SA either caused an initial decrease, a final decline, or no change in the pathogen population, depending on the particular soil type. An initial decrease occurred in a soil with a basic pH and resulted in a significantly (P < 0.

Genotypic and Pathotypic Diversity in Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Nepal.

ABSTRACT Among the 171 strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (the bacterial blight pathogen of rice) collected from eight rice-producing zones in Nepal, 31 molecular haplotypes were distinguished using two polymerase chain reaction-based assays. Six common haplotypes represented nearly 63% of the strains, and some haplotypes were geographically dispersed.

Bacterial populations associated with rice seed in the tropical environment.

ABSTRACT During the 1995 wet season, harvested rice seed was collected from farmers' fields at different locations in Iloilo, Philippines. Bacterial isolations from crushed seed yielded 428 isolates. The isolates were characterized by BOX-polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting of total genomic DNA and represented 151 fingerprint types (FPT).

Panicle blast and canopy moisture in rice cultivar mixtures.

ABSTRACT Glutinous rice cultivars were sown after every fourth row of a nonglutinous, hybrid cultivar in an additive design. The glutinous cultivars were 35 to 40 cm taller and substantially more susceptible to blast than was the nonglutinous cultivar. Interplanting of glutinous and nonglutinous rice reduced the incidence and severity of panicle blast on the glutinous cultivars by >90%, and on the nonglutinous cultivar by 30 to 40%.

Causal Agent of Red Stripe Disease of Rice.

A variety of methods that included natural and synthetic media for isolating bacteria and fungi were used to isolate the causal agent of the red stripe disease of rice. A fungus was isolated consistently from leaves with red stripe symptoms using the blotter method. In this method, surface-sterilized leaves were placed on sterile petri plates, lined with moistened filter paper, and the plates were incubated for 14 days at 28 to 30°C.

Candidate defense genes as predictors of quantitative blast resistance in rice.

Although quantitative trait loci (QTL) underpin many desirable agronomic traits, their incorporation into crop plants through marker-assisted selection is limited by the low predictive value of markers on phenotypic performance. Here we used candidate defense response (DR) genes to dissect quantitative resistance in rice using recombinant inbred (RI) and advanced backcross (BC) populations derived from a blast-resistant cultivar, Sanhuangzhan 2 (SHZ-2). Based on DNA profiles of DR genes, RI lines were clustered into two groups corresponding to level of resistance.

Genetic analysis of rice varietal diversity for rice blast control.

Two Indica hybrid rice of Shanyou63 (A) and Shanyou22 (B), two glutinous landraces of Huanghenuo (C) and Zinuo (D) and three improved Japonica rice of Hexi41 (E), Chujing12 (F) and 8126 (G) were selected and their genetic resistance relationship was estimated using resistance gene analogue (RGA). The results showed that there were similar genetic relationships between hybrid varieties at the genetic similarity (GS) of 0.86,and among improved Japonica varieties at the GS of 0.

Applying Rice Seed-Associated Antagonistic Bacteria to Manage Rice Sheath Blight in Developing Countries.

One promising area of disease management for resource-poor farmers that emerged in recent years in developing countries is the potential of biological control. Biological control agents (BCAs) were found to be ubiquitous in the rice ecosystem. Seed bacterization with BCAs appeared to promote plant growth.

Diversity of Gram negative bacteria antagonistic against major pathogens of rice from rice seed in the tropic environment.

With the use of a seed washing technique, more than 4000 Gram negative bacteria were isolated by two improved isolation methods from 446 batches of 1 kg rice seed samples obtained from 22 provinces in the Philippines. They were initially characterized on the basis of colony morphology and results of biochemical and pathogenicity tests. Six hundred and fifty-two strains were further identified by Biolog, from which 133 were selected for fatty acid methylester (FAME) analysis together with 80 standard reference strains.

Enhanced resistance to sheath blight by constitutive expression of infection-related rice chitinase in transgenic elite indica rice cultivars.

Genetic transformation has been attempted for management of rice sheath blight disease, caused by Rhizoctonia solani. We introduced a PR-3 rice chitinase gene (RC7), isolated from R. solani-infected rice plants, into indica rice cultivars IR72, IR64, IR68899B, MH63, and Chinsurah Boro II by the biolistic and PEG-mediated transformation system.

Predicting durability of a disease resistance gene based on an assessment of the fitness loss and epidemiological consequences of avirulence gene mutation.

Durability of plant disease resistance (R) genes may be predicted if the cost of pathogen adaptation to overcome resistance is understood. Adaptation of the bacterial blight pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), to virulence in rice is the result of the loss of pathogen avirulence gene function, but little is known about its effect on aggressiveness under field conditions.

Genetic diversity and disease control in rice.

Crop heterogeneity is a possible solution to the vulnerability of monocultured crops to disease. Both theory and observation indicate that genetic heterogeneity provides greater disease suppression when used over large areas, though experimental data are lacking. Here we report a unique cooperation among farmers, researchers and extension personnel in Yunnan Province, China--genetically diversified rice crops were planted in all the rice fields in five townships in 1998 and ten townships in 1999.

Use of Partial Host Resistance in the Management of Bacterial Blight of Rice.

The progress of bacterial blight epidemics, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, varies with environment. The irrigated lowland rice production environment in central Terai (plain) is less conducive to the disease than the irrigated lowland rice production environment in eastern Terai in Nepal.

Analysis of DNA Polymorphism and Virulence in Philippine Strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola.

Molecular tools were used to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, the bacterial leaf streak pathogen of rice in the Philippines. Representative pathogen strains were selected and used to assess resistance in rice germplasm.

Virulence of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae on Rice Lines Containing Single Resistance Genes and Gene Combinations.

Fifty isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae were collected from different rice-producing districts of Nepal and evaluated for their virulence on these 11 rice lines having from one to four resistance genes: IRBB4 (Xa4), IRBB5 (xa5), IRBB7 (Xa7), IRBB8 (xa8), IRBB10 (Xa10), IRBB14 (Xa14), and IRBB21 (Xa21), two-gene combination AY4+5 (Xa4 and xa5), three-gene combinations NH21-37-1-1 (Xa4, xa5, and xa13) and NH24-10-1-3 (Xa4, xa5, and Xa21), and four-gene combination NH56-1-44-4 (Xa4, xa5, xa13, and Xa21). The ability of an isolate to cause lesions with different lengths across the lines was interpreted as virulence.

A Leaf Inoculation Method for Detection of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola from Rice Seed.

A leaf-inoculation method for detecting Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola in rice seed was developed and tested. The method is based on inoculating leaf segments on agar with seed washings in a moist chamber.

Suppression of Fusarium moniliforme in Rice by Rice-Associated Antagonistic Bacteria.

The potential of antagonistic bacteria from paddy water, rhizosphere soils, sclerotia, and rice plants to control "bakanae" caused by Fusarium moniliforme was assessed. Experiments were conducted to determine the in vitro antibiosis and effect of bacteria on seed germination. Out of 441 isolates, 113 were inhibitory to mycelial growth of the pathogen.

Development of a PCR-based marker to identify rice blast resistance gene, Pi-2(t), in a segregating population.

The genomic clone RG64, which is tightly linked to the blast resistance gene Pi-2(t) in rice, provides means to perform marker-aided selection in a rice breeding program. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of generating a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based polymorphic marker that can distinguish the blast resistant gene, Pi-2(t), and susceptible genotypes within cultivated rice. RG64 was sequenced, and the sequence data was used to design pairs of specific primers for (PCR) amplification of genomic DNA from rice varieties differing in their blast disease responsiveness.

Storage fungi and seed health of rice: a study in the Philippines.

Fifty seed samples of different rice varieties stored in warehouses for varying periods (1-28 months) were collected and screened for their fungal flora, using standard blotter and agar plate methods, resulting in the isolation of 36 fungal forms. The samples were also studied for moisture content, germinability, and seedling abnormalities. Significant correlations were found among the numbers of fungi, storage period, and germinability.