IDENTIFICATION OF EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES PRODUCED BY FLUORESCENT PSEUDOMONADS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMERCIAL MUSHROOM (AGARICUS-BISPORUS) PRODUCTION

The acidic exopolysaccharides (EPSs) from 63 strains of mushroom production-associated fluorescent pseudomonads which were mucoid on Pseudomonas agar F medium (PAF) were isolated, partially purified, and characterized. The strains were originally isolated from discolored lesions which developed postharvest on mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) caps or from commercial lots of mushroom casing medium. An acidic galactoglucan, previously named marginalan, was produced by mucoid strains of the saprophyte Pseudomonas putida and the majority of mucoid strains of saprophytic P. fluorescens (biovars III and V) isolated from casing medium. One biovar II strain (J1) of P. fluorescens produced alginate, a copolymer of mannuronic and guluronic acids, and one strain (H13) produced an apparently unique EPS containing neutral and amino sugars. Of 10 strains of the pathogen ''P. gingeri,'' the causal agent of mushroom ginger blotch, 8 gave mucoid growth on PAF. The ''P. gingeri'' EPS also was unique in containing both neutral sugar and glucuronic acid. Mucoid, weakly virulent strains of ''P. reactans'' produced either alginate or marginalan. All 10 strains of the pathogen P. tolaasii, the causal agent of brown blotch of mushrooms, were nonmucoid on PAF. Production of EPS by these 10 strains plus the 2 nonmucoid strains of ''P. gingeri'' also was negative on several additional solid media as well as in two broth media tested. The results support our previous studies indicating that fluorescent pseudomonads are a rich source of novel EPSs.