Disease resistance and sexual reproductive development are generally considered as separate biological processes, regulated by different sets of genes. Here we show that xa13, a recessive allele conferring disease resistance against bacterial blight, one of the most devastating rice diseases worldwide, plays a key role in both disease resistance and pollen development. The dominant allele, Xa13, is required for both bacterial growth and pollen development. Promoter mutations in Xa13 cause down-regulation of expression during host-pathogen interaction, resulting in the fully recessive xa13 that confers race-specific resistance. The recessive xa13 allele represents a new type of plant disease resistance.