Pathogenic Diversity of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae Isolates in Togo

The present study aimed at determining Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae pathogenic diversity. Therefore, the disease survey was conducted in three ecozones of Togo-Forest savanna transition, Forest and dry savanna zones and the diseased samples were collected, the bacteria isolated and characterized by testing their virulence on 21 rice genotypes. The results revealed the occurrence of the bacterial leaf blight in the three ecozones. High bacterial leaf blight incidence of 50-65% was observed in Forest savanna transition and Forest zones, while it was up to 70% in the dry savanna zone. The highest incidence (70%) was recorded in dry savanna zone and the lowest (25%) was frequently observed in Forest zone. The present results provided knowledge on the bacteria virulence and its structure across ecozones of Togo and provided useful information for selection of genotypes for durable resistance to the disease.