Chinese scientists have identified a new gene that significantly enhances rice resistance to bacterial leaf blight, a disease that poses a growing threat to global rice production amid climate change. The discovery, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, comes after two decades of research aimed at combating a disease that impairs photosynthesis in rice plants, leading to significant yield losses and, in severe cases, complete crop failure.

The research team, led by the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and conducted in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University, screened some 3,000 rice varieties to isolate the gene, designated Xa48. This gene functions by detecting a particular bacterial effector protein and activating the plant’s immune response to target the pathogen.

Bacterial leaf blight, which has become increasingly prevalent due to rising temperatures and more frequent typhoons and flooding, spreads more easily under extreme weather conditions linked to climate change. While previous resistance genes mostly addressed bacterial strains common in Southeast Asia, Xa48 provides robust protection against bacterial variants that predominate in Northeast Asia.

The researchers combined the newly discovered Xa48 gene with an older, broader-spectrum resistance gene, Xa21, to create a “dual-layer” immune system in cultivated rice. This approach mirrors the multi-layered defenses observed in wild rice species, which have often been diminished in modern crops through selective breeding focused more on yield than on disease resistance.

The breakthrough has attracted attention from the agricultural industry, with seed companies and national research institutes already working to incorporate the gene into new rice varieties. These lines have demonstrated an ability to maintain high yields and strong disease resistance even under stress from floods and typhoons.

He Zuhua, a co-corresponding author of the study, emphasized that improving crop disease resistance could reduce pesticide reliance, thereby promoting more sustainable agricultural practices. Despite current control measures, pests and diseases account for an estimated loss of at least 18 million metric tons of grain annually in China alone.

Lin Hui, a co-first author, highlighted the novelty of the research in showing for the first time in crops that merging two immune networks can recreate the broad-spectrum disease resistance typically found in wild rice. Major players such as Longping High-Tech Agriculture Co. and the China National Rice Research Institute are now applying the findings to develop resilient rice varieties better suited to the challenges of a changing climate.