Emergence of Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus in the Centuries-Old Chinese Yuanyang Agrosystem of Rice Landraces

A recent study highlights the significant prevalence of Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) in the 1300-year-old Honghe Hani rice terraces system (HHRTS), with a 20.1% infection rate observed over two years. The research identifies three genetic clusters of rice varieties—traditional indica landraces (TIL), modern hybrids (MH), and Hongyang improved modern varieties (HY)—with TIL and MH showing lower susceptibility to SRBSDV compared to HY, which exhibited a 30.2% infection rate. The study suggests that SRBSDV isolates are freely circulating within the system without preferential infection of specific genetic clusters. Given that SRBSDV can cause 30–50% yield losses in rice, the findings underscore the urgent need for enhanced disease monitoring and strategies to mitigate its impact on rice production in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alonso, P., Gladieux, P., Moubset, O., Shih, P.-J., Mournet, P., Frouin, J., Blondin, L., Ferdinand, R., Fernandez, E., Julian, C., Filloux, D., Adreit, H., Fournier, E., Ducasse, A., Grosbois, V., Morel, J.-B., Huang, H., Jin, B., He, X., et al. (2019). Emergence of Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus in the Centuries-Old Chinese Yuanyang Agrosystem of Rice Landraces. Viruses, 11(11), 985. https://doi.org/10.3390/v11110985