<i>RBL1</i> Shapes Phyllosphere Microbial Structure to Enhance Disease Resistance in Rice

Rice blast is caused by the fungus <i>Magnaporthe oryzae</i> and seriously threatens rice production worldwide. Harnessing microbe-mediated resistance is a key strategy in disease control. The <i>RBL1</i> gene of rice encodes a cytidine diphosphate diacylglycerol synthase, and editing of <i>RBL1</i> resulted in a new allele named <i>RBL1</i>^Δ12, which confers multipathogen resistance and maintains yield. This study demonstrated that enhanced blast resistance of <i>rbl1</i>^Δ12 partially stemmed from differences in phyllosphere microbiota. The <i>rbl1</i>^Δ12 line exhibited enrichment of beneficial microorganisms in the phyllosphere, such as those from the genera <i>Pantoea</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Acidobacteria</i>, and <i>Sphingomonas</i>, which inhibited the growth of several rice pathogens in dual culture plates. Moreover, phyllosphere microbial interactions were strengthened in <i>rbl1</i>^Δ12, contributing toward resistance to <i>M</i>. <i>oryzae</i>. Synthetic microbial communities that mimic <i>rbl1</i>^Δ12 microbial communities induced rice immunity and enhanced the resistance to <i>M</i>. <i>oryzae</i> in two rice varieties, achieving environmentally friendly control of rice blast. This study revealed that host genetic modification contributed to shaping microbiome composition, providing a strategy based on beneficial microbes for sustainable disease control. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.