Members of the genus Pantoea have been reported as pathogens for many economically important crops, including rice. Little is known about their host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level and the lack of comprehensive genome data impedes targeted breeding strategies toward resistant rice cultivars. Here, we describe the structural and functional annotation of the draft genome sequences of three rice-pathogenic Pantoea ananatis strains, ARC272, ARC310, and ARC311, which were isolated in Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin, respectively. The genome sequences of these strains will help in developing molecular diagnostic tools and provide new insight into common traits that may enable P. ananatis to infect rice.
Keywords: Erwiniaceae; Pantoea ananatis; West Africa; bacteriology; genome sequence; rice pathogen.