Journal of Integrative Agriculture ›› 2026, Vol. 25 ›› Issue (10): 3927-3940.DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2026.07.025

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  • 收稿日期:2026-03-27 修回日期:2026-07-28 接受日期:2026-07-03 出版日期:2026-10-20 发布日期:2026-09-21

Adapting to the enemy: Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) evolutionary dynamics and durable resistance in African rice 

Isaac Tawiah1, 2#, Richard Akromah1, Alexander Wereko Kena1, Charles Kodia Kwoseh1, Shailesh Yadav2, Kossi Lorimpo Adjah2, Geoffrey Onaga2, Benjamin Annor1, Zenna Negussie2, Tella Hamidatou Euridice2, Scholastica Quaicoe2, Nana Kofi Abaka Amoah2   

  1. 1  Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-385-1973, Ghana

    2 AfricaRice, Genetic Diversity and Improvement, Bouaké 01 BP 2551, Cote d’Ivoire

  • Received:2026-03-27 Revised:2026-07-28 Accepted:2026-07-03 Online:2026-10-20 Published:2026-09-21
  • About author:#Correspondence Isaac Tawiah, E-mail: I.Tawiah@cgiar.org
  • Supported by:

    This work was supported by the Consultative Group of International Agriculture Research, Cote d’Ivoire (CGIAR) and the Science Programme-Breeding for Tomorrow, Cote d’Ivoire (SP01/B4T/AoW02).  

Abstract:

Rice yellow mottle virus (RYMV) is one of the most destructive viral diseases affecting rice production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where increasing demand and persistent yield gaps continue to compromise food security.  RYMV shows significant genetic and phylogeographic diversity across SSA, driven by mutation, recombination, selection, and restricted regional spread, enabling adaptation to host resistance.  The main resistance genes, RYMV1, RYMV2, and RYMV3, primarily derived from Oryza glaberrima, differ in their molecular mechanisms and the selective pressures they impose on viral populations.  Resistance breakdown linked to RYMV1 primarily stems from mutations in the viral VPg protein, whereas resistance mediated by RYMV2 and RYMV3 is overcome through changes in the P2a polyprotein and coat protein (CP), respectively.  An evolution-informed framework combining viral phylogeography, resistance-breaking pathways, and breeding deployment strategies is proposed to explain regional variation in resistance durability and enhance long-term resistance management.  Currently, using marker-assisted pyramiding of complementary resistance genes is the most promising and scalable strategy for achieving durable resistance, while genomic selection provides opportunities to improve both quantitative and background resistance.  Sustainable management of RYMV will require region-specific deployment of resistant varieties, continuous surveillance of viral populations, integration of quantitative resistance, and better seed system management to reduce selection pressure and virus spread.  Emerging technologies such as genome editing and artificial intelligence-assisted breeding may further expand the resistance toolbox but require careful integration.

Key words: rice ,  RYMV ,  resistance durability ,  resistance gene pyramiding ,  evolution-informed breeding