Bacillus licheniformis Heshi-B2 was isolated from fermented rice bran in Heshiko, a food produced by aging salted mackerel with fresh rice bran. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of B. licheniformis Heshi-B2, originating from a Heshiko sample from Fukui Prefecture, Japan.

Alternating flooding and drainage conditions have a strong influence on redox chemistry and the solubility of trace metals in paddy soils. However, current knowledge of how the effects of water management on trace metal solubility are linked to trace metal uptake by rice plants over time is still limited. Here, a field-contaminated paddy soil was subjected to two flooding and drainage cycles in...

OsMSR2 is a novel calmodulin-like gene in rice. Previous study has been demonstrated that OsMSR2 was a cold, drought and heat-inducible gene. However, the role of OsMSR2 in rice stress response is still unclear. To reveal the function of OsMSR2 involved in stress response, the expression pattern and effects of overexpression of OsMSR2 on salt stress were analyzed in rice. Quantitative real-time...

The critical nitrogen (N) dilution curve is a suitable analytical tool for in-season estimation of N status to implement precision N management. This study was undertaken for a comprehensive comparison of N dilution curves in Japonica and Indica rice to investigate, whether a single curve can be used for both rice ecotypes and to determine the most robust plant index for assessing N status in r...

Abstract. Rice production is still a profitable activity for the Portuguese rice growers. Nevertheless, given the new environmental challenges, it competitiveness would require the use of modern means of production. First of all, it is important to know the present status of the Portuguese rice growing activity. Our purpose is to present a review of the production technology in Portugal and the...

Striped stem-borer (SSB) infestation is one of the most serious sources of damage to rice growth. A rapid and non-destructive method of early SSB detection is essential for rice-growth protection. In this study, hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics was used to detect early SSB infestation in rice and identify the degree of infestation (DI). Visible/near-infrared hyperspectral images...

Transgenic approach offers an attractive alternative to conventional techniques for the genetic improvement of Basmati rice because they enable the introduction of one or more genes into a leading cultivar without affecting its genetic background. During the last ten years, a rapid progress has been made towards the development of transformation methods in rice. Several transformation methods i...

Studies from flies and insects have reported the existence of a special class of miRNA, called mirtrons that are produced from spliced-out introns in a DROSHA-independent manner. The spliced-out lariat is debranched and refolded into a stem-loop structure resembling the pre-miRNA, which can then be processed by DICER into mature ~21 nt species. The mirtrons have not been reported from plants. I...

WRKY proteins, which belong to a large family of plant-specific transcription factors, play important roles in plant defenses against pathogens and herbivores by regulating defense-related signaling pathways. Recently, a rice WRKY transcription factor OsWRKY53 has been reported to function as a negative feedback modulator of OsMPK3/OsMPK6 and thereby to control the size of the investment a rice...

The order Magnaporthales comprises about 200 species and includes the economically and scientifically important rice blast fungus and the take-all pathogen of cereals, as well as saprotrophs and endophytes. Recent advances in phylogenetic analyses of these fungi resulted in taxonomic revisions. In this paper we list the 28 currently accepted genera in Magnaporthales with their type species and ...