Identification and Functional Characterization of Xanthomonas oryzae Pv. oryzae Isolates

Rice is a model crop for studying host - pathogen interaction with one of the most devastating pathogens viz. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). In the present investigation, an attempt was made to isolate a virulent strain of Xathomonas oryzae from infected rice leaves and production of antioxidant enzymes, which are widely used in studying host - pathogen interactions. Among five isolates of X. oryzae pv. oryzae, SboBLB3 showed greater virulence as it showed susceptibility symptoms in infected rice leaves. The NCBI accession number of SboBLB3 was MH986180, which was obtained by sequencing 16s rDNA. The increased activity of antioxidant enzymes after SboBLB3 further confirms its virulence. Induction of antioxidant enzymes showed that SboBLB3 is a virulent strain of X. oryzae and can be used in host - pathogen interaction at molecular level.