Abstract: Disease resistance in rice is disclosed, originally isolated in mutant rice plants designated LM-1. Resistance has been demonstrated against at least the following diseases: sheath blight, bacterial panicle blight, narrow brown leaf spot, and leaf smut. Preliminary results indicate that there may also be resistance to stem rot.

Abstract: A previously unsuspected cause of herbicide-induced phytotoxicity in rice is disclosed, as is a successful treatment for the problem. Fungi are responsible for dehalogenating halogenated aromatic herbicides. The dehalogenated aromatic compounds then cause serious injury to growing rice plants. The problem has been overcome by treating the herbicide with a fungicide. When fungal metabolism of the herbicide is thus inhibited, the herbicide is not dehalogenated, and the herbicide does not injure rice plants. In a preferred embodiment, the fungicide iprodione was impregnated onto the herbicide thiobencarb, greatly reducing the induced phytotoxicity of the herbicide thiobencarb, without substantially affecting the desired herbicidal activity of thiobencarb.