Identification and Elimination of "Slowly Growing" Bacteria From a Micropropagated Gerbera

Testing of different antibiotics against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria isolated from plant tissue culture

“…Over the last few years, detailed identification of microbial infections in tissue culture has been carried out by different researchers (Attafuah & Bradbury 1989;Boxus & Terzi 1987;Leifert et al 1989Leifert et al , 1990Trick & Lingens 1985). It was also reported that Grampositive rods such as Bacillus polimyxa, as well as Gram-negative rods such as Pseudomonas ftuorescens and P. putida could be isolated from Gerbera andSyngonium (Podwyszynska & Hempel 1987). Other authors (Mathias et al 1987) found strains of E. coli in Nauclea diderrichii.…”

“…It has been reported that bacteria obviously can be found endogeneously in the in vitro plants rather than on the surrounding MS medium (Podwyszynska & Hempel 1987). However, bacterial growth on the surface of the media can be activated by subculturing the explants on cytokinin containing media as performed for rapid multiplication.…”

“…This problem is also due to agar based substrates of high transparency solidified by Gelrite. On the other hand, practical experience has shown that visual detection of bacterial contamination in or on substrates which are prone to microbial growth does give satisfactory results when the explants have been wounded seriously (Podwyszynska & Hempel 1987).…”

Effect of combinations of antibiotics on micropropagated Clematis, Delphinium, Hosta, Iris and Photinia

“…Antibiotics are often incorporated as prophylactics in the plant tissue culture medium or have been used to suppress or eliminate bacteria once contamination was detected (Phillips et al 1981;Cornu & Michel 1987;Fisse et al 1987;Mathias et at. 1987;Podwyzynska & Hempel 1987;Leifert 1990; Leifert et al 1991b). However, many antibiotic treatments have been found to inhibit metabolic processes (for example protein synthesis) and plant growth in vivo and in vitro (Brian 1957;Owens 1979;Thurston et al 1979;Bastiaens et al 1983;Pollock et al 1983;Horsch & King 1983;Cornu & Michel 1987;Fisse et al 1987;Mathews 1988; for a recent review see Falkiner 1990).…”

Bacterial contaminants of micropropagated plant cultures

“…Contamination with bacteria is considered the most serious and can result in reduced multiplication and rooting rates or even in death of plant cultures. Bacterial genera described as contaminants in plant tissue cultures include Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Corynebacterium and EnterobacterlErwina (Boxus & Terzi 1987;Cornu & Michel 1987;Podwyszynska & Hempel 1987;Singha et al 1987).…”