Two Transcriptional Factors Antagonistically Fine-Tune MIR1863a to Balance Resistance and Yield Traits in Rice.

Summary: Plants often have to make a tough choice: use their energy to fight off diseases, or use it to grow big and produce food. If they fight too hard, farmers get a smaller harvest. Scientists have discovered a tiny genetic "control dial" in rice, called MIR1863a. They also found two helper genes that turn this dial up or down. By carefully tweaking these genes, researchers were able to make rice plants highly resistant to a sickness called "blast disease" without losing any of the rice harvest! This exciting discovery could help farmers grow stronger, healthier crops that produce plenty of food.