EFFECTS OF LEAF BLAST ON GROWTH AND PRODUCTION OF A RICE CROP .1. DETERMINING THE MECHANISM OF YIELD REDUCTION

Rice crops grown under irrigated conditions were inoculated with Pyricularia oryzae during early growth stages to study the effect of leaf blast on yield formation. The inoculations led to severe epidemics of leaf blast around maximum tillering, characterized by the presence of typical blast lesions and an accelerated senescence of heavily infested leaf tissue. Leaf blast led to a prolonged tillering and a delay in flowering and maturity. Crop growth rate and leaf area formation declined sharply during establishment of the disease and continued to be reduced till maturity. This resulted in a marked reduction of total dry matter production and grain yield. Dry matter distribution was not affected. Leaf blast reduced spikelet number, 1000 grain weight, and the fraction filled grains. From this last observation it was concluded that the reduction in grain yield was exclusively source determined. Nitrogen uptake of the inoculated crops before flowering was reduced compared to the N uptake of the control crop, but shoot N content of the inoculated crops at flowering was higher. Uptake of nitrogen after flowering was negligible in both healthy and inoculated crops. Redistribution from vegetative tissue was therefore the main source of N for grain growth. The higher N content of the shoot organs in the inoculated crops during ripening led to the conclusion that the reduced N uptake was not responsible for the yield reduction observed. Consequently, the reduction in grain yield was solely determined by a reduced carbohydrate supply.