Evaluation of the dry format isothermal amplification-based biosensor for rice blast.

Abstract

Seeds and propagating resources of rice plants can also be the primary source of the pathogens that cause various diseases. A modified isothermal amplification-based biosensor was developed to determine the presence of these pathogens. The isothermal amplification-based biosensor was used for rice blast in seeds, storage, and warehouse swabs. The device was improved for dry format Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) technique, which provides precise results for detecting pathogens compared with conventional methods. The formulated assay was tested on-station using different varieties of rice and seed storage swabs for repeatability, sensitivity, and specificity analyses. The formulated assay was specific as tested against other related fungi and sensitive and detected even crudely extracted DNA down to 40.8×10^-6 ng/μL or 40.8 femtograms. The device will be a decision tool for stakeholders to discard rice seeds or provide phytosanitary treatment before storage, seed banking, and quarantine.