The reactions of rice bacterial leaf blight races were identified in Guilan province-Iran on 12 near-isogenic lines and 14 pyramiding lines from International Network for Genetic Evaluation of rice (INGER) and 8 local and improved Iranian varieties were evaluated under natural photoperiod condition in the field. Inoculation was done at panicle initiation by clipping the sterilized scissors in the bacterial suspension to booting stage. Scoring of inoculated plants was made 21 days after inoculation. Infection levels of pyramiding lines containing two to five resistance genes, expect, IRBB53 and IRBB61 with respectively resistance gene combination, Xa5 + Xa13 and Xa4 + Xa5 + Xa7, were not so clear. Among near-isogenic lines IRBB1, IRBB2, IRBB4 and IRBB10 carrying resistance gene Xa1, Xa2, Xa4 and Xa10 were susceptible; IRBB8, IRBB11, IRBB3, IRBB5 and IRBB13 were moderately susceptible; (having resistance gene Xa8, Xa11, Xa3, Xa5 and Xa13) IRBB14, IRBB21 and IRBB7 with respectively resistance gene Xa14, Xa21 and Xa7 were moderately resistance to bacterial blight. Furthermore, most of the time gene combinations support the strategy of pyramiding appropriate resistance gene. Local varieties were more susceptible than improved varieties to leaf blight disease. Among local varieties, Tarom was the most susceptible. And also, there were no significant differences among improved varieties and all of them were moderately resistance.

While testing the efficacy of herbicides on paddy weeds at the Rice Research Institute of Iran (RRII) in 2008, we encountered the failure of arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia L., Alismataceae) seeds to germinate. Detailed investigation revealed physical damage of seeds caused by the larvae of Gynnido-morpha permixtana (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) (Tortricidae, Tortricinae, Cochylina). Further studies showed that larvae feed on the seeds and flowers of the host plant and destroy the achenes. Under laboratory conditions G. permixtana required 23-30 days to complete its life cycle. Arrowhead is a new host record for this moth species; furthermore, this is the first detailed record of a tortricid feeding on this plant.