Abstract
We identified 161 Gram-negative bacterial strains isolated from the root surface of wheat grown under different soil conditions. The strains were divided into seven groups based on major morphological and physiological properties. Taxonomic allocation of the groups was verified by guanine+cytosine contents of DNA. Except for one group, which may be assumed to include bacteria belonging to the genera Flavobacterium and Cytophaga, the various groups were taxonomically united. The distribution of the groups changed with soil improvement. Pseudomonads predominated in unimproved soil, but Flavobacterium and Cytophaga spp. were predominant in the most improved soil. As all the strains were non-fermentative by Hugh and Leifson's test, API 20NE identification was applied. However, many strains were misidentified by this system, especially in the Flavobacterium and Cytophaga spp. group. For ecological studies, the strains were classified to species level by the API 20 NE system and by the results of a combination of guanine+cytosine (mol%) and isoprenoid quinone data. The pattern of distribution of the bacteria on the root surface of wheat varied at species level within one genus depending on soil conditions.
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Dedicated to Professor J. C. G. Ottow on the occasion of his 60th birthday
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Sato, K., Jiang, H.Y. Gram-negative bacterial flora on the root surface of wheat (Triticum aestivum) grown under different soil conditions. Biol Fertil Soils 23, 273–281 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335955
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335955