Rmg8 confers resistance to the Bangladeshi lineage of the wheat blast fungus

First reported in South America, wheat blast, caused by the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae(Syn. Pyricularia oryzae), has recently spread to Bangladesh and is threatening neighboring South Asian countries. To date, only a few resistance genes have been identified to function against wheat blast. Whether these genes are effective against the Bangaldeshi lineage of the wheat blast fungus is unknown. Here, we found that a hexaploid common wheat line S-615 carrying the gene Rmg8is resistant to M. oryzaeBangladeshi isolate BTJP4-1 but susceptible to Brazilian isolate N06047. These findings are consistent with the observation that AvrRmg8, which encodes the avirulence effector protein recognized by Rmg8, is present in Bangladeshi isolates of the wheat blast fungus. These results indicate that Rmg8could contribute to breeding blast resistant wheat varieties adapted to South Asian conditions.