Occurrence of plant hormone (cytokinin)‐producing bacteria in the sea

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Abstract
Plant hormones, which are considered to be cytokinins, were detected in the culture media of marine bacteria using the Amaranthus bioassay method. The proportion of cytokinin‐producing bacteria to total microbes tested was higher in sediments (45–55%) than in seawater (5–15%). The amount of cytokinin‐like substances in the culture media was estimated as 0.05–0.30 μg of zeatin equivalents/l. Thin layer chromatography analysis using the soybean callus bioassay method suggested that the active substance produced by one of these bacteria was isopentenyladenine or its riboside. Taxonomic examination of the cytokinin‐producing bacteria showed that the production of the hormone was not specific to any genus. A possible role of cytokinins produced by sediment bacteria on the development of red tide is discussed.