Classification of Bacteria or Prokaryotes – Volume IV

Classification of Bacteria or Prokaryotes – Volume IV

The classification of bacteria or prokaryotes (of significance in agriculture and allied fields) given in “Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology” is listed as follows.

Volume IV:

Gram-positive filamentous bacteria of complex morphology.

There are soil organisms which are harmless and few are pathogenic to humans, animals and plants. In soil, they play important role in degradation of plant and animal residues and some are best producers of antibiotics. Bacteria included in this volume Iv are categorized as follows, under different sections.

a) Nocardiform Actinomycetes (sect.26), the important genera are Nocardia Rhodoccus, Pseudonocardia.

b) Actinomycetes with multicolor sporangia (Sect.27) important genera are: Geodermatophilus, Determatophilus and Frankia, like Rhizobium are highly efficient microacerophilic N2 –fixes that induce stem nodules in woody plants (E.g. Alders) .

c) Streptomycetes and related genera (Sect.29), Streptomycetes are actinomyceous, harmless bacteria occurring in neutral soil at saprophytes. They degrade polymeric organic substances in soil (Starch, pection, and chitin), Streptomyces have the ability to produce great number of variety of antibiotics. Some of the important species of the genus Streptomyces producing antibiotics are listed below: