As part of a collaborative strategic research program involving the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA - Africa Rice Center), among others, a workshop on "Strategic characterisation of blast pathogen diversity, key screening sites and host resistance" was held on 5 March 2003 in Accra, Ghana.

Proceedings of the workshop, edited by Y. Séré, S. Sreenivasaprasad and S.K. Nutsugah, are now available, entitled "Rice blast in West Africa: Characterisation of pathogen diversity, key screening sites and host resistance".

It includes the workshop report, full papers covering various presentations and useful appendices and "is intended to serve as a reference manual for scientists involved in rice blast research and management in Africa, particularly the West African region".

Rice blast is an important disease caused by a fungus and is one of the major constraints to rice production.

See http://www.warda.cgiar.org/publications/Blast/index.htm or contact warda@cgiar.org for more information.

WARDA is one of the 15 research centres supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.