Abstract
Strains of Burkholderia gladioli were isolated from rice (Oryza sativa) field soil, and its association with rice sheath rot and panicle blight symptoms was demonstrated, both under greenhouse and field conditions for the first time. The B. gladioli strains were identified using Biolog, cellular fatty acid composition, polymerase chain reaction, and sequencing of both 16S rDNA and 16–23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Inoculation of rice with B. gladioli strains isolated from soil caused vertical, linear gray lesions surrounded by dark brown margins on flag-leaf sheaths in greenhouse experiments and significant panicle blighting under field conditions.