Fighting the enemy: How rice survives the blast pathogen’s attack

Global food security is threatened by rice blast disease caused by the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. An understanding of rice resistance mechanisms is fundamental to developing strategies for disease control. In this review, we summarize recent advances in pathogen-associated molecular pattern-triggered immunity, effector-triggered immunity, defense regulator-mediated immunity, and effects of nutrient elements on rice blast resistance. We outline strategies used for breeding rice cultivars with improved disease resistance. We also present the major research challenges for rice blast disease resistance and propose approaches for future investigation.