Characterization and identification of Burkholderia glumae as the causal pathogen of bacterial panicle blight of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in Malaysian rice granaries

Bacterial panicle blight (BPB) like symptoms in rice plants were first detected in Sungai Ache, Penang, Malaysia in December 2017. The symptoms observed were straw-coloured panicles, discoloured florets with darker basal portion of the glumes. The panicles remained upright due to partially or aborted grain filling. The causal pathogen was confirmed as B. glumae based on phenotypic characterization, molecular identification, and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA and gyrB genes. Koch’s postulates were fulfilled and pathogenic variations among the isolates were observed. This study is the first report of the occurrence of BPB caused by B. glumae in Malaysia.