Ecological Characteristics of Bacteriophages Infecting Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Their Use as Biocontrol Agents

Abstract

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is a very serious disease in rice growing regions of the world. There are no effective ways of protecting rice from the disease. In this study, the bacteriophage (phage) mixtures infecting Xoo were investigated as biological control agent on BLB. The effects of pH, heat and ultraviolet on the stability of phages were investigated to check and increase the possibility of practical use in the field. Phages were rather stable between pH 5 and pH 10. The infectivity dropped sharply when the phages were incubated at 50℃ and more than 90% of the phages were inactivated after two minutes of ultraviolet treatment. The phages were stable for 7 days at the rice plant leaves, and the phages survived 10 times more than other treatments when mixed with skim milk. Although the skim milk increased the stability of the phages, the control efficacy was not effective. However, the phage mixtures reduced the occurrence of BLB when they were treated with Tecloftalam WP or Acibenzolar-S-methyl simultaneously. The results indicated that the Xoo phages could be used as an alternative control method to increase the control efficacy and reduce the use of agrochemicals.

Keywords

• Bacteriophage
• BLB
• Phage