Establishment of Rice Plant Leaf Infection through Fungal Inoculation via Wounding

Begin with a culture dish containing a rice leaf with small wounds, exposing the underlying epidermis.

Apply a moistening solution containing Tween-20, creating a conducive environment for fungal growth.

Place a mycelial plug of Magnaporthe grisea, consisting of conidiophores with conidia  — reproductive fungal spores, over the wounded site.

Incubate the leaf in a humid chamber under photoperiod conditions to promote fungal growth.

During incubation, conidiophores release spores that adhere to the exposed epidermis, developing germ tubes.

The germ tube differentiates into a dome-shaped appressorium, which generates high turgor pressure, forming a sharp hypha — or penetration peg.

The penetration peg secretes cell wall-degrading enzymes, facilitating its entry into the epidermal cell and differentiation into invasive hyphae for nutrient acquisition.

These hyphae grow and spread within the epidermal cells through plasmodesmata  — connecting channels between cells, and establishing the infection.

The fungus secretes toxins, causing cell necrosis and lesion formation near the wounded site on the leaves, indicating fungal infection.