Quantitative selective PCR of 16S ribosomal DNA correlates well with selective agar plating in describing population dynamics of indigenous Pseudomonas spp. in soil hot spots

We used a quantitative PCR method targeting 16S ribosomal DNA using competi tive PCR for specific detection of indigenous Pseudomonas DNA in soil hot s pots. The amount of Pseudomonas DNA corresponded to the number of culturabl e Pseudomonas bacteria on Gould's S1 agar. This represents the first use of PCR for quantification of indigenous bacteria in more than one sample of s oil.