Rice

Bacterial Panicle Blight

Burkholderia glumae

Bacteria

5 mins to read

In a Nutshell

  • Light- to medium-brown discoloration of grains.
  • Later, grains may turn gray, black or pink, from other bacteria or fungi.
  • Panicles remain upright.

Can also be found in

1 Crops

Rice

Symptoms

In the fields, it tends to develop in circular patterns. Small clusters of panicles do not develop properly during grain fill and the panicles remain upright rather than bending down with the weight of the grain. Infected grains can be unevenly distributed on the panicle. The stem below the infected panicle remains green. Bacteria infect the developing grains at flowering stage and cause grain abortion or rotting during grain filling after pollination. Grains develop a light- to medium-brown discoloration of the lower third to half of the hulls. These grains may later turn grayish, black or pink as other bacteria or fungi become established in the hulls.

Recommendations

Organic Control

Sorry, we don't know of any biological treatment against Burkholderia glumae. Please get in touch with us in case you know of something that might help to fight this disease. Looking forward to hear from you.

Chemical Control

Always consider an integrated approach with preventive measures together with biological treatments if available. Sorry, we don't know of any chemical treatment against Burkholderia glumae. Please get in touch with us in case you know of something that might help to fight this disease. Looking forward to hear from you.

What caused it?

Bacterial panicle blight is seed-transmitted. The spread of the disease is temperature-dependent. Bacterial panicle blight tends to develop during hot, dry weather at later stages of the plant growth. Prevalence increases when daytime temperatures are above 32°C and night temperatures remain around 25°C or above. High nitrogen levels also favor the development of disease. Rice planted earlier in the spring tends to have less damage from bacterial panicle blight because of cooler temperatures at heading and grain filling.


Preventive Measures

  • Clean your field thoroughly from plant residues from the previous harvest.
  • Plant only certified, disease-free seeds.
  • Choose a rice variety with partial resistance if available.
  • Plant the crop earlier in the spring.
  • Control your fertilization program and do not exceed the recommended doses, especially for nitrogen.
  • Avoid overwatering.
  • Monitor the crop regularly and check for sick plants.
  • Consider crop rotation with non-host crops, like legumes.

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