Research Status and Prospect of Burkholderia glumae, the Pathogen Causing Bacterial Panicle Blight

Bacterial panicle blight caused by Burkholderia glumae is one of the most severe seed-borne bacterial diseases of rice in the world. Currently, this disease has affected many countries of Asia, Africa, South and North America. It is a typical example of the shifting from minor plant disease to major disease due to the changes of environmental conditions. Some virulent factors of B. glumae have been identified, including toxoflavins and lipases, whose productions are dependent on the TofI/TofR quorum-sensing system, and type III effectors. In spite of its economic significance, neither effective control measure for this disease nor resistant rice variety is currently available. In recent years, genomics, transcriptomics and other molecular methods have provided useful information for better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying B. glumae virulence and the rice defence mechanisms against pathogens. For the prevention of this pathogen, our laboratory has developed a rapid and sensitive multiplex PCR assay for detecting and distinguishing B. glumae from other Burkholderia species. This improved understanding of B. glumae will shed new light on bacterial panicle blight disease management.