Belowground Defence Strategies Against Rhizoctonia

Rhizoctonia solani is a species complex of soilborne fungi that are known for their ability to infect a broad range of plant species. Notoriously, isolates of R. solani cause bare-patch and sheath blight diseases on wheat and rice, respectively, and therefore jeopardise global production of these two major cereals. One of the pressing problems in combating R. solani is the lack of strong genetic resistance despite broad germplasm screening programmes. In order to determine future approaches for improving resistance, this chapter summarises the current research into R. solani pathosystems and the types of control strategies that have been employed to protect plants against this disease. Opportunities and challenges for improving resistance to this pathogen will also be discussed.