Description
The Bacterial blight of rice is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a gram-negative bacterium which enters the rice through natural openings and wounds. The bacterium invades the vascular system and spreads through the xylem vessels, causing wilting of the plant (Agrios et al., 2005, Plant Pathology, Elsevier Press). It causes wilting of seedlings and yellowing and drying of leaves. The problem is that there are currently no effective plant protection products against this plant disease which causes serious economic losses mainly in Asia, therefore it is essential to find an efficient treatment against it. The application of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents can be an alternative option for this problem. Phages are specific viruses that infect only bacteria. Nowadays, the phage-based biocontrol is again in the focus of attention because of lots of advantages of phage therapy over the use of antibiotics and pesticides. In this project a new phage based product is developed against the bacterial blight of rice. This development of this new method of plant protection and of this new product offers an environmentally friendly solution to get higher yields and greater productivity, therefore we can ensure secure livelihood for people living in underdeveloped regions. With this product some currently used illegal or non-environmentally friendly products such as human antibiotics used for agricultural production could be replaced.
Summary of project results
In South-East Asia rice is a primary foodstuff. A frequent pest of rice in Asia is the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (XOO). However, there is no effective pesticide, which would be suitable for the treatment of the disease caused by XOO. Therefore, the aim of the project was to develop an environmentally sound pest control product against XOO bacterium based on bacteriophages. During the project XOO infected rice samples were obtained from the International Rice Research Institute of the Philippines and from Vietnam. XOO bacterium and 12 XOO phages were succesfully isolated from the samples. Five phage genomes were sequenced and it was observed that the virus genomes showed high degree of similarity. It was also observed that all of the isolated phages were able to effectively destroy XOO bacterial strains, which was confirmed during laboratory and greenhouse trials.
Summary of bilateral results