Gibberella fujikuroi is a fungal plant pathogen. It causes bakanae disease in rice seedlings, by overloading them with the phytohormonegibberellin as its own metabolic byproduct.
Scientific classification :
Kingdom:
Fungi
Phylum:
Ascomycota
Class:
Sordariomycetes
Subclass:
Hypocreomycetidae
Order:
Hypocreales
Family:
Nectriaceae
Genus:
Gibberella
Species:
G. fujikuroi
Binomial name : Gibberella fujikuroi (Sawada) Wollenw., (1931)
Bakanae disease
Bakanae(バカナエ?) (pronounced "ba-ka-na-eh", not "ba-ka-nay".) or bakanae disease(馬鹿苗病, バカナエビョウ, Bakanae-byo), from the Japanese for "foolish seedling", is a disease that infects the rice plant. It is caused by the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi, the metabolism of which produces a surplus of gibberellic acid. In the plant, this acts as a growth hormone, causing hypertrophy. The afflicted plants, which are visibly etiolated and chlorotic, are at best infertile with empty panicles, producing no edible grains; at worst, they are incapable of supporting their own weight, topple over, and die (hence "foolish seedling disease").
