Phylogenetic Characterization and Genome Sequence Analysis of Strains Isolated in Thailand as the Causal Agent of Rice Bacterial Panicle Blight.

is one of the most critical rice-pathogenic bacteria, and it causes bacterial panicle blight (BPB) in rice plants. In 2017, BPB symptoms were observed from rice fields in Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand. Sixty-one isolates obtained from the symptomatic panicles of rice were initially identified as by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using species-specific primers. Among them, six selected strains isolated from the susceptible rice cultivar DOA2 were characterized in terms of morpho-physiology, pathology, phylogenetics, and genomics. Our genome sequence analysis of the six selected strains revealed the presence of multiple prophages, which may reflect the high level of diversity in this bacterial species through dynamic horizontal gene transfer processes, including phage infection. This notion was supported by the results of phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, which showed the formation of several subgroups not related to the years of isolation or the geographical origins. This study reports the isolation of as the causal pathogen of BPB disease in rice in Thailand and provides genomic resources to better understand the biology and diversity of this plant pathogenic bacterium. Further studies with a vast collection of strains from various rice-growing regions around the world are needed to elucidate the evolution, variability, and lifestyle of the pathogen.