27. 
Effectiveness of different Xa genes against Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae popu
lation causing bacterial blight of rice in Punjab (India)
R.K. Goel, L. KAUR and R.G. SAINI
Department of Genetics, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India

 
Bacterial blight (BB) caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (X.o.o.) is a major biotic constraint in the irrigated rice belt comprising Punjab and the adjoining north-western states of India. We studied effectiveness of different Xa genes conferring BB resistance against the population of the bacterium prevalent in farmer’s fields at different locations in Punjab during 1996 and 1997 Kharzf (summer) seasons.
About 50 leaf segments (2 mm long) form each thoroughly washed leaf sample derived from a rice plant naturally infected with X.o.o. were agitated in 10 ml sterilized distilled water for 15 minutes. The resulting suspension of bacterial ooze (109 cfu/ml) was inoculated using the “leaf clipping method” on groups of rice lines serving as a “differential set” at maximum tillering to booting stage. Leaf area necrotized on five fully expanded leaves of 10 plants of each rice line on 0-9 scale following Standard Evaluation System for Rice (1988). Plants were grown in earthen pots in the greenhouse.
Each differential set comprised - (a) near-isogenic lines (NILs) in the background of
1R24 namely IR-BB1, IR-BB3, IR-BB4, IR-BB5, IR-BB7, IR-BB8, IR-BB1O, IR-BB11, IR-BB13, IR-BB14 and IR-BB21, carrying known resistance genes Xal, Xa3, Xa4, xa5, Xa7, xa8, Xa1O, Xa11, xa13, Xa14 and Xa21 for resistance to BB, respectively (Ogawa, 1993); and (b) some international differential rice cultivars with known Xa genes (Ogawa, 1993), namely Kogyoku (Xa1 + Xa12), Tetep (Xa2 + Xa16), BJ1 (xa5 + xa13), IR24 (Xa18) and DV85 (Xa7). Taichung (Native) 1, or TN! a cultivar carrying Xa14 but highly susceptible to most BB races (Ogawa, 1993) was also included in each differential set to serve as a check.
Out of 17 rice genotypes evaluated in this study, IR-BB1, IR-BB3, IR-BB1O, IRBB11, IR-BB14, IR24 and TN! were susceptible (S) or moderately susceptible (MS) whereas IR-BB8, DV85 and BJ1 were resistant (R) or moderately resistant (MR) to all the isolates of X.o.o. analyzed (Table 1).
On the basis of differential reaction (R/MR or SIMS) on IR-BB4, IR-BB5, IR-BB7, IR-BB21, Tetep and Kogyoku, the X.o.o. populations analyzed here could be classified into 8 pathotypes with varying frequencies (Table 1). The reaction of cultivar DV85 which is reported to carry Xa7 (Ogawa, 1993) was entirely different from that of nearisogenic line IR-BB7, having the same gene. BJ1 and DV85 were resistant to all the pathotypes of X.o.o. encountered in the present study. It is obvious DV85 has another gene for resistance to BB besides Xa7.
Resistance gene Xa21 is reported (Ikeda et a!. 1992, Mazzola et a!. 1994) to confer resistance against all the pathotypes of X.o.o. prevalent in the Philippines and India at post-seedling growth stages. However, this gene was ineffective against several isolates of the pathogen evaluated in this study (Table 1). According to Song et a!. (1995) Xa21 locus consists of a small multigene family. The ineffectiveness of Xa21 against some pathotypes of X.o.o., as recorded here, may possibly be due to the failure of some members of this family to recognize specific pathogen ligands and subsequent activation of an intracellular defense response as suggested by Wang et al. (1996).

 
Table 1. 
Reaction of rice lines with Xa gene(s) against X.o. pv oryzae populations from Punjab 
(India) during 1996 and 1997
Rice lines
Xa gene(s)*
     
Reaction
to strains of BB
     
P-1
P-2
P-3
P-4
P-5
P-6
P-7
P-8
IR-BB1
Xa1
S
MS
S
S
S
S
MR
MS
IR-BB3
Xa3
S
MS
S
S
MS
MS
MS
MS
IR-BB4
X4
S
S
MS
S
MR
R
MR
MR
IR-BB5
Xa5
MS
MR
MR
MR
MR
R
MR
R
IR-BB7
Xa7
S
MS
MR
S
S
MR
MR
MR
IR-BB8
Xa8
MR
MR
MR
MR
R
R
R
R
IR-BB10
Xa10
MS
MS
MS
MS
MS
S
MS
MS
IR-BB11
Xa11
S
MS
MS
MS
S
S
MS
MS
IR-BB13
xsl3
MR
MR
MR
MS
MR
K
R
R
IR-BBI4
Xa14
S
S
MS
S
S
MS
MS
MS
IR-BB21
Xa21
S
S
MS
MS
MR
R
R
R
Kogyoku
Xa1 +Xa12
S
MS
MS
R
MS
R
R
R
Tetep
Xa2+Xa16
S
S
S
MS
S
S
MR
MR
BJI
xa5+xal3
R
R
R
R
MR
R
R
R
DV65
Xa7
R
R
MR
R
R
K
R
R
1R24
Xa18
S
S
S
MS
MS
MS
MS
MS
Ni
Xa14
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
% Frequency
 
24.6
23.1
7.7
6.2
16.1
92
7.7
4.6
(1996,1997)
                 
* Ogawaet eI(1993)
**Reaction based on Standard Evaluation System for Rice (1988). R= Mean BB score <3.4. MR =3.5-5.4, MS = 5.5-7.4, S>7.5 on 0-9 scale

 
Acknowledgements
Supply of seeds of the near-isogenic rice lines through the courtesy of Prof. D.S. Brar, Division of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biochemistry, IRRI, Manila, Philippines is gratefully acknowledged.
References
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