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Amsoy Soybean Seed Germination Inhibited by Pseudomonas glycinea. J. F. Nicholson, Research Assistant, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801; J. B. Sinclair, Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801. Phytopathology 61:1390-1393. Accepted for publication 2 July 1971. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-61-1390.

Pseudomonas glycinea was shown to inhibit germination of soybean (Glycine max) seed, and thus, affect seed quality. Two isolates were recovered from infected seed, and were distinguished in vitro in that one had a smooth surface and margin; the other, a rough surface and margin. Both isolates were identified as P. glycinea by their identical reactions to standard biochemical tests as compared with the reaction of a known culture of P. glycinea. The three isolates did not grow on Kado’s selective medium D4 for pseudomonads. When suspensions of our two isolates were infiltrated by vacuum into sterilized Amsoy seed, germination was significantly inhibited (death of seed) to 45% by the rough-margined isolates, and was significantly delayed to 84% by the smooth-margined isolate, as compared to 90% germination of the control. The known culture of P. glycinea inhibited germination 68%. The bacterium was isolated from 17 seed lots of Lee 68 collected from five states. Recovery in vitro of P. glycinea isolates ranged from 4 to 64% among the individual lots. The incidence of P. glycinea was correlated with the inhibition of germination both in naturally infested and artificially inoculated seed.