Abstract
An improved selection technique for isolation and enumeration of Azospirillum brasilense was developed. The technique is based on successive liquid enrichments in nitrogen-free semisolid medium supplemented with streptomycin, followed by the most probable number counting method and verification on a selective medium. The latter is based on Okon''s nitrogen-free medium supplemented with cycloheximide (250 mg/L), streptomycin sulphate (200 mg/L), sodium deoxycholate (200 mg/L), 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (15 mg/L), and Congo red (1000 mg/L). This medium was found to be superior to other avaiable diagnostic media. The technique was readily applied to detect and count A. brasilense Cd in inoculated wheat roots.