Wl. Araujo et al., Variability and interactions between endophytic bacteria and fungi isolated from leaf tissues of citrus rootstocks, CAN J MICRO, 47(3), 2001, pp. 229-236
Fungi and bacteria were isolated from surface disinfected leaf tissues of s
everal citrus rootstocks. The principal bacterial species isolated were Alc
aligenes sp., Bacillus spp. (including B. cereus, B. lentus, B. megaterium,
B, pumilus, and B. subtilis), Burkholderia cepacia, Curtobacterium flaccum
faciens, Enterobacter cloacae, Methylobacterium extorquens, and Pantoea agg
lomerans, with P. agglomerans and B. pumilus being the most frequently isol
ated species. The most abundant fungal species were Colletotrichum gloeospo
rioides, Guignardia citricarpa, and Cladosporium sp. Genetic variability be
tween 36 endophytic bacterial isolates was analysed by the random amplified
polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique, which indicated that B. pumilus isolates
were more diverse than P. agglomerans isolates, although genetic diversity
was not related to the host plants. In vitro interaction studies between G
. citricarpa isolates and the most frequently isolated endophytic bacteria
showed that metabolites secreted by G. citricarpa have an inhibitory growth
effect on some Bacillus species, and a stimulatory growth effect on P. agg
lomerans.