Bacterial leaf blight of rice is caused by a species (a) Alternaria (b) Erwinia (c) Xanthomonas (d) Pseudomonas.
Option C Bacterial leaf blight of rice is caused by Xanthomonas oryzae a bacterium which is gram negative, aerobic, capsulated, and motile with a single polar flagellum. Primary infection is carried through the infected seeds. The entry of the pathogen occurs through wounds and stomata. The symptoms of the disease is the appearance of linear, yellow to straw coloured stripes, usually on both the edges of the leaf. As the disease progresses, the drying and twisting of the leaf tip occurs. The most destructive phase of the disease is the ‘Ikresek’ or wilt resulting from early systematic infection.
