Phage-typing of the causal bacteria of bacterial leaf blight (Xanthomonas oryzae) and bacterial leaf streak (X. translucens f. sp. oryzae) of rice in the tropics

Abstract

Phage-typing of the bacterial leaf blight and bacterial leaf streak pathogens was carried out on isolates obtained from the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. A comparison of the lysotypes of the blight pathogen in Japan and the Philippines was made using seven X. oryzae phages. X. oryzae phages were specific to X. oryzae, but X. translucens phages Sp3 and Sp6 lysed certain isolates of several xanthomonads in addition to X. translucens f. sp. oryzae.
The streak pathogen was differentiated into 16 lysotypes and the blight pathogen into 15. X. oryzae phage Bp1, distributed widely in the Philippines (Luzon area), was identical to the phage Op2 of Japan in the host range, but other Philippine phages differed from those obtained from Japan.