Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

Rice researchers are striving to find a solution to the bacterial leaf blight (BLB), a disease that is rapidly affecting the rice crop in the country. Researchers from the International Research and Development Institute in France held discussions  with TARI Dakawa researchers and those from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for the preliminary results of the samples collected in 2019 and 2020.

Following the disease outbreak appeared in some rice fields at Dakawa and Lukenge areas in Mvomero district in the aforementioned years,  researchers from TARI and IRRI  collected samples and sent them to France for investigating the bacteria strains that caused the disease.

Preliminary results show similar bacterial strains, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), attacking rice in Dakawa  and Lukenge. In addition, this investigation has discovered a gene to be used to develop rice varieties resistant to the disease. 

Collection of more samples is currently being done in other rice growing areas affected by the disease for further investigations to find out if similar bacteria strains persist or not, to help determine the scope of the infestation.