A refined inoculation method to evaluate false smut resistance in rice

False smut, caused by Ustilaginoidea virens, is a serious disease of rice worldwide. To evaluate false smut resistance in rice, we developed a method combining the cultivation of the main culm of rice plants in the greenhouse and rapid preparation of a conidial suspension to inject into the leaf sheath. The method was used to evaluate false smut resistance in 18 varieties/lines of rice. For comparison, field trials were also carried out in 2007 and 2008. The results indicated that the greenhouse method was more reproducible than field trials: commercial varieties tested were resistant; almost all the forage varieties were highly susceptible; and blast-resistant varieties/lines were mostly resistant to false smut. Thus, this inoculation method will be useful for determining the level of false smut resistance in rice and for breeding resistant varieties.