**3. Rice blast fungus:** *Magnoporthe oryzae*

The fungus causes rice blast disease *Pyricularia oryzae* Cavara [synonym *P. grisea* Sacc, teleomorph *Magnaporthe oryzae* [(Hebert) Barr]. The genus *Magnaporthe*, which consists of five species (*M. grisea, M. oryzae, M. salvinii, M. poae,* and *M. rhizophila*), has shared morphological traits such as three-septate fusiform ascospores and black non-stromatic perithecia (ascocarp) with long hairy necks [13]. However, due to the limited host range of the individual isolates, all *Magnaporthe* sps were regarded as the *M. grisea* species complex (Mg complex) [14, 15]. Blast disease of rice and other gramineous species is caused by the members of the Mg complex [15]. Recently, based on phylogenetic analyses and mating tests, isolates from crabgrass were separated from the Mg complex and named *M. grisea,* and other isolates from grasses, including rice, were named as *M. oryzae* [16–19]. One hundred thirty-seven family members, including rice, are affected by *M. oryzae* where it causes blast disease [20, 21].
