STABILITY OF RIFAMPICIN RESISTANCE AS A MARKER FOR ROOT COLONIZATION STUDIES OF PSEUDOMONAS-PUTIDA IN THE FIELD

The stability of rifampicin resistance in plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas putida strain WCS358 was studied in potato rhizosphere in the field. Three out of seven rifampicin-resistant mutants of strain WCS358 were selected in this study. Their specific growth rate, competitive growth in liquid medium and colonization of potato roots in non-sterile soil, was comparable to that of their parental strain. These rifampicin-resistant mutants were used to treat potato seed tubers, which were thereafter sown in the field. To test the stability of the rifampicin resistance in the field, about 1200 fluorescent Pseudomonas isolates obtained from underground plant parts at 82, 95, 109 and 13() days after seeding, were tested for rifampicin resistance and for agglutination with an antiserum specific for strain WCS358. All fluorescent Pseudomonas isolates that showed a positive agglutination reaction with the antiserum, were also rifampicin-resistant. Twelve agglutination-positive isolates, selected at random, were all identified as strain WCS358 from patterns of lipopolysaccharides after sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Thus, rifampicin resistance seems to be a stable marker in the mutants of strain WCS358 tested, also under field conditions It is concluded that rifampicin resistance can be used as a reliable marker for ecological studies on rhizosphere pseudomonads.