Abstract
Data on the dominant bacterial classes in the innermost rhizosphere of barley and wheat were collected. For this, ground root material was plated and the bacteria coming up as colonies were scored, mainly for metabolic functions. The results were used to classify the isolates, and produce linkage diagrams depicting the taxonomic relationships of them.
Initial floral analyses gave viable counts between 107 and 108 (untreated), and 106–107 (surface sterilized) per g root fresh weight. Between 102 and 103 nitrogen fixers per g were found. No azospirilla were among them.
Pseudomonads were prominent in material from both untreated and surface sterilized roots, amounting to 52% in the latter. Other gram-negative bacteria were clearly prominent in surface sterilized rather than in untreated material, amounting to more than 30%. In surface sterilized wheat roots, these were mainly Enterobacteriaceae (amounting to 23% of the bacterial population). The largest part of these were Enterobacter agglomerans. It was concluded that Enterobacteriaceae are typical for the innermost part of the rhizosphere of wheat.
A thorough taxonomic investigation showed that pseudomonads were mainly Pseudomonas fluorescens, forming a rather homogeneous cluster in the association diagram. Enterobacter agglomerans could be grouped in two clusters of subtypes I, aerogenic, and subtype II, anaerogenic. Five nitrogen fixing strains belonged to subtype I.
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Kleeberger, A., Castorph, H. & Klingmüller, W. The rhizosphere microflora of wheat and barley with special reference to gram-negative bacteria. Arch. Microbiol. 136, 306–311 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425222
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00425222