ABSTRACT
The present investigation focuses on enhancing the understanding of Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease, by developing simple and cost-efficient protocols for single spore isolation and controlled sporulation with minimal equipment. In pursuit of this objective, various natural hosts were evaluated for their sporulation potential at different time intervals. The results revealed the significant differences in sporulation of M. oryzae among different hosts at different time intervals, showing higher sporulation at 14 DAI compared to 10 DAI. Notably, rice leaves from TN-1 and HR-12 cultivars exhibited robust sporulation at 14 DAI under a 14-hr light + 8 hr dark conditions. Validating these findings, twelve isolates from various locations in Telangana State consistently confirmed that rice leaves from cultivar TN-1 supporting the highest mean sporulation rate, followed by the HR-12 cultivar. The implications of these findings extend to aiding researchers and rice breeders in comprehending disease dynamics, formulating effective control strategies, and developing rice cultivars resilient against rice blast.