Rice black-streaked dwarf virus disease （RBSDVD），which is caused by Rice black streaked dwarf virus（RBSDV） and mainly transmitted by small brown planthopper （Laodelphax striatellus Fallén）， is a severe viral disease in rice. Once infected, the vector small brown planthopper carries the virus for life, but it cannot be transmitted through eggs. In recent ten years, RBSDVD has been widely prevalent in rice areas of southern China，which caused serious yield reduction of rice. At present, pesticides are mainly used to control the virus vector small brown planthopper. However, due to the large population of small brown planthopper, the control effect is not good, and there are concerns about environmental pollution. Therefore, the cultivation and utilization of rice varieties resistant to RBSDVD is the optimal strategy. Within this article, we review the distribution and hazards of RBSDV, exploration of resistance germplasm resources, resistance identification methods, mapping of genes/QTLs for resistance to RBSDVD, resistance-conferring mechanism and breeding. We expect to provide insights in genetic dissection of the RBSDV resistance genes and their optimal use in rice resistance breeding.