Pathogenicity assays were conducted on 10 O. sativa rice cultivars as follows: ABB1 was grown overnight in PSA broth and adjusted to 1 × 108 CFU/ml in sterile distilled water. Leaves of 35-day-old rice plants were clipped 2 to 3 cm below the leaf tip with sterile scissors dipped in the bacterial suspension (Gonzalez et al. 2007).