Transfer of Virulence between Isolates of Agrobacterium

Abstract

IN South Australia, at least three distinct forms of Agrobacterium can be isolated from crown galls on stone fruit trees¹. These forms will be referred to as Agrobacterium sp., A. tumefaciens and A. radiobacter. Agrobacterium sp. and A. tumefaciens induce the formation of galls when inoculated into peach or tomato, but can be distinguished by various biochemical tests including 3-ketolactose production², by serology (our unpublished data) and by protein patterns following gel electrophoresis (our unpublished data). A. radiobacter is non-pathogenic but otherwise cannot be distinguished by any of these tests from A. tumefaciens.