Scenario of Bacterial Leaf Blight of Rice Caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Major Rice Growing Areas of Andhra Pradesh, India

Rice is among the oldest crops of the world which feeds more than half of the world’s population. Bacterial leaf blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, is a most devastating disease which results in yield losses upto 70-90%.

Aim: The current research study was aimed to investigate the occurrence of disease and distribution of pathotypes.

Methodology: A roving survey was conducted over twelve major rice growing districts of Andhra Pradesh viz., East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru, Kakinada, NTR district, Krishna, Nellore, Chittoor, Tirupati, Kadapa, Kurnool, Nandyal.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Plant Pathology, S. V. Agricultural College, Tirupati, between November 2023 and Febraury 2024.

Results: The highest disease incidence was found in Putrela village (72.34%) of Krishna district and lowest disease incidence was recorded in the fields of Burugupudi village (21.06%) of Kakinada District.

Conclusion: The results indicate that the disease is prevalent in all rice-growing areas, ranging with varying levels of disease incidence of 20 to 72 per cent.