Growth schedule analysis of soil bacilli colonies

Applicability of the model of Hattori to the analysis of the development ra tes of the colonies of soil bacilli was examined in experiments with Bacill us megaterium, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus polymyxa, and a natural complex of bacilli of soddy podzolic soil. The multiplication prob ability for spores and vegetative cells of bacilli was found to differ more than twofold, and this makes possible identification of the population str ucture on the basis of the colony appearance schedule. Specifically, the po pulation structure can be deduced from the percent of colonies appearing 50 h after inoculation.