Mating Type Alleles, Female Fertility and Genetic Diversity of Magnaporthe Grisea Populations Pathogenic to Rice from Five Asian Countries

Five hundred and twenty-two isolates of Magnaporthe grisea isolated from rice in 5 Asian countries were characterized for their mating type by crossing them with 4 hermaphroditic isolates (KA3 and TH12: MAT1.1; Guy11 and TH 16: MAT 1.2). Among them, 41% were MAT 1.1 and 25% were MAT1.2. The remaining 34% did not produce perithecia with any of the 4 hermaphroditic testers. In Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Vietnam and in most provinces of China, both mating types were present. Only one mating type was found in 3 provinces and 1 city of China. Almost all the isolates had very low fertility, as they were in general female sterile and sometimes also male sterile. Hermaphroditic isolates were recovered from the 5 countries. In these countries, they represented between 13% and 75% of the isolates. In Zhejiang, Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunnan, Yunnan and Hubei provinces of China, hermaphroditic isolates represented between 6% and 67%. The genetic diversity of 143 isolates from these countries and provinces, where hermaphroditic isolates had been collected, was analyzed using SCAR markers. Genetic diversity was high and population structure did not resemble classical clonal structure described in most rice growing regions. The existence of sexual reproduction in the field, localization of a center of diversity in China, and migration between countries are discussed in this paper.