SCREENING, ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF RICE PATHOGEN MAGNAPORTHE ORYZAE.

Rice, a major food crop and feeds more than half of the world?s population, mainly in developing countries including Asia and Africa. Magnaportheoryzae, a Blast pathogen attacks rice at any stage of its life cycle. Blast infected leaf samples were harvested from Lonavla susceptible Paddy field and then plant pathogens were screened and isolated to axenic form. Morphological identification of blast fungus showed grayish colony with circular smooth margin and concentric ring on potato dextrose agar. Spore Induction was performed using stem bits. Pathogenicity assay was performed in plastic pots and using detached leaf samples from susceptible paddy variety. Further desired blast pathogen i.e. Magnaportheoryzae was identified with ITS region through Sanger sequencing.