Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

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The biological role of microbes-antagonists,

producers of antibiotic substances

Nicolai A. Krasilnikov

To cite this article: Nicolai A. Krasilnikov (1960) The biological role of microbes-antagonists,
producers of antibiotic substances, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 5:4, 184-193, DOI:
10.1080/00380768.1960.10430915

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 [Soil and Plant Food, Vol. 5, No.4, 1960]

THE BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF MICROBES-ANTAGONISTS,

PRODUCERS OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES

NICOLAI A. KRASILNIKOV

Department of Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences, Moscow, USSR

RECEIVED DECEMBER 20. 1959

Editor's Note: Professor N.A. KRASILNIKOV came to Japan as an invited guest in autumn
1959. At the time of leaving Japan, he asked Professor T. ASAI, Director of Institute of
Applied Microbiology, University of Tokyo, to publish his manuscript in an appropriate
Japanese journal. The editorial board of "SOIL AND PLANT FOOD" received it from Prof.
ASAI and agreed upon publishing it in this issue, because it was estimated that it would
contribute much to a better understanding of the recent trend in the field of antibiotic
investigation in relation to plant growth in USSR. (Dr. S. ISHIZAWA)

Two trends of scientific research are develop- hence, plays an important part in the formation of
ing in modern microbiology of soil. One of them the microbiological population in the soil.
deals with the processes that determine various The microorganisms strongly influence the plants.
transformations of organic and inorganic sub- too. It has been experimentally proved that the soil
stances, such as: the dynamics of the nitrogen microbes, in their life time, form different substances.
The latter includes many that are capable of inducing
balance, humus and structures of compounds of
certain processes in plants. These biologically active
phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, iron etc. This
metabolites present a specific interest and attract
trend was created a long time ago by the numerous experts.
founders of microbiology, WINOGRADSKY, OMEL- Among the biologically active metabolites, the most
YANSKY, KHUDYAKOV, BEIJERINK, KOSTYCHEV well studied are the so-called growth stimulators-
and others. It is well developed in all countries. vitamins, auxins. certain amino acids. special factors
The second trend is a comparatively new one. P.X. gibberellines and others. All of them, in one
It has been created recently, and mainly by way or another accelerate the growth and improve
Soviet microbiologists. It deals with the pro- the yield of plants and are called biotic substances.
blems of interaction between the soil microflora Of no smaller importance for the plants are the
and the higher plants. This trend attracts toxic metabolites of microbes. These substances are
particular attention of experts in different fields poorly studied. Nevertheless, the available data show
of agrobiology. that the toxins of microbes arriving from the soil
into the plants are capable of causing in them sub-
The material accumulated in relation to the second stantial changes not only of quantitative but also of
trend indicates that the interaction of microorganisms qualitative nature too.
and higher plants is most varied and complex. The We may fin':l free non-cellular ferments (enzymes)
closest interaction is recorded among the root zone in the soil. Their role in the biochemical soil process
microflora and the plants. The plants, as is known, thusfar remains unknown. But we may suppose that
by their root excretion and by the dying off cells of it is substantial. .
the roots attract a large number of microbes and Much attention was given during the past decade to
accumulate them. Thus, a specific mrcroflora or the antibiotic substances produced by the microbes-
microbial cenoses are created in the root zone and antagonists. Experience has shown that the producer~
on the roots. Moreover, a definite specificity is noted of antibiotic substances are widespread in the soils
in the composition of the cenoses in keeping with the and in other natural substrates. Microbes-antagonists
peculiarities of the plant. The plants, not only are found widely in different geographical zones, both
accumulate the microbes in the rhizo-sphere soil, but northern and southern, tropical and subtropical
elect their specific composition. The plant cover, latitudes.

184
 BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF MlCROBES-A~TAGONISTS,PRODUCERS OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES

The assertions of certain investigators that the gradual adaptation to the definite test.
number of antagonists is greater in the southern If all the actinomycetes, (or other organisms) are
zones than in the northern ones are erroneous. In antagonists, then it is natural that the indication of
keeping with the observations of KORENYAKO, the antimicrobial action should not be taken as the
YUZHINA, ZHUKOVA and others, in some of the soils steering principle in determining the regularities of
of the Kola peninsula, all or almost all the actinomy- ecological distribution in space of a given group of
cetes are antagonists in relation to the staphylococus, organisms.
the hay bacillus or Bact. coli. As to the soils of A characteristic feature of antagonists is their
Caucasus, Crimea and Vakhsh valley (Tadjik Soviet ability of depressing the cells of microbes. The ex-
Republic), we have not found 100 per cent of pression of this action may differ both in strength and
antagonists among the actinomycetes in any of them. in quality, i.e. the choice of the test-organism. It
Speaking of the regularities of antagonists distribu- may be bactericidal, bacteriostatic, lysogenic, general
tion in soils, we should consider not the general and organotrophic. In the latter case only a definite
biochemical indicators of the organisms, i.e., not the part of the organism or some separate function is
group of organisms possessing the antagonistic pro- depressed.
perties but the separate species thereof. Only by an The microbes-antagonists by their antibiotic sub-
accurate determination of the species it is possible to stances act most specifically upon definite types of
judge its degree of spreading and distribution in microbes. The peculiarity of this specificity is that
different places. the action of the antagonists is always directed
Proceeding from the observation of many years and against the cells of alien species, but never against
from the experimental data we may say that the phe- the strains of its own species. This peculiarity is
nomenon of antagonism or the ability of producing of great importance for the identification and classi-
antibiotic substances is characteristic of all actino- fication of the studied cultures.
mycetes aerobes-mesophiles. However, the manifesta-
tion of antagonism in different species varies in
regard to different microbes. In the so-called inactive Noting the intra-and inter-specific peculiarity
strains or species, in which no antibiotic substances
have been revealed for a long time, it became possible
of the antagonism, mention should be made that
to reveal them when the appropriate tests or the the external manifestation of antagonism in the
necessary nutritive media or the conditions of growth form:of sterile zones around the clods of an-
were selected. The experiments of STRESHINSKY tagonist may be caused by other factors such
(1950) show that the anti-microbial activity may as phagesi, or self-poisoning under the influence
be artificially induced in one or another organism by of necro-hormones (Fig. 1). In both cases, zones
of absence of growth are created
around the clods of its own culture.
This phenomenon is a frequently
misleading cause bringing the
investigators to erroneous con-
clusions and reasonings.
The antibiotic substances as
the metabolites of microbes-
antagonists are synthesized not
only in artificial conditions, e.g. in
nutritive media, but under natural
conditions e.g. in natural sub-
strates too. The microbes-anta-
gonists produce antibiotic sub-
stances directly in the soil, pro-
vided the favourable conditions
are present (Table 1).
This is quite natural since the
Fig.:1. Act. violaceu8 lytic zone caused by actinophage. antibiotic substances are not
accidental metabolites. They
185
 N. A. KRASILNIKOV

Table 1. Actinomycetes' Producing

A
~_,
Antibiotics in Soils

Sterile soils Non-sterile soils

Microbe
Cher-
Podzol nozem Podzol
Cher- , . If . .
'~
nozem
Act. aurantiacus
st. 1149 200 100 80 30 ...
.. ' g~l,
,)!-.'
'#
,"',
'
IlL' ',~"
I

••_it
Act. globisporus . G "
st. 81-B 120 60 60 40

~ ~
If st. 2302 80 100 30 20
If st. 2570 150 60 50 20
Act. griseus
st. 2535 170 100 80 30

•
Note: Number of units In ",ramR.

represent an instrument of microbes' struggle (a)

for their existence, evolved throughout the
history of the formation of the species. ~

Under the conditions of natural habitation,
the microbes enter into definite relations among
themselves: antagonistic or nonantagonistic.
The antagonism of microbes is revealed by
different methods. Of these, the most strikingly
expressed is the type of struggle that is
conducted by means of antibiotics.
This property of the microbes is of tremen-
dous importance in the formation of cenoses.
Communities of organisms either of a useful or
of a harmful composition for the plants, are
created in the struggle of species. There are
frequent cases when under definite conditions,
communities are formed in the soil with the
accumulation of a great number of phytopa-
thogenic forms. The useful species, such as
the nodule forming bacteria, the azotobacter,
and others may be forced from the soil.
The antagonists may be used for artificial
removal of unwanted forms. This idea has
been attracting the attention of microbiologists
for a long time. Under the conditions of an
experiment, when there is mass reproduction,
the bacteria-antagonists quite noticeably depress
the growth and the activity of the phytopatho-
genic fungi. This has been shown in the ex-
periments of PORTER, BAMBERG, KHUDYAKOV
and others.
Positive results are obtained not only in
laboratory conditions, not only in vegetation
vessels, in hothouses or glasshouses, but in the
field, under the conditions of open ground. The
experiments with potatoes of CHERNISHER (Fig.
186
••••
·1It, •
.-. --.
"' ..
(b)
Fig. 2. Effects of antagonistic actirwmllceteB 0110
microbial spoilage of potatoe a) C01lotrol,
infected with scabies. b) Grown in field
U'here antagonistic actirwmllceteB inhabited
abundantly.
2), the experiments with flax carried out by
BYEREZOVA, the experiments of RANZITSYNA
with pine-wood seedlings, those by KORENYAKO
and KUZINA with cotton, the recent broad
investigations of KUBLANOVSKAYA for the
actinomyces employment in cotton wilt con-
trol, and the studies of AFRICYAN and col-
oborators for the employment of antagonist
bacteria to control vegetable crop infections
offer convincing proof of the possibility of
practical use of microbes-antagonists for plant
disease control and for soil improvement in
general (KRASILNIKOV, 1958).
The improvement of soils occurs thanks to
 BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF MICROBES-ANTAGONISTS, PRODUCERS OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES

lavish development and activation of antago-
nists. All that facilitates the mass reproduction
and accumulation in the soil of antagonist
microbes leads to the improvement of the soil,
i.e. to the elimination of one or another phyto-
pathogenic organisms. The plant cover plays
an important part as a soil improving factor.
Thanks to the ability of plants to facilitate the
development of definite species of bacteria,
actinomycetes and/or fungi, the appropriate
species are accumulated in the soil. By selecting
plants in crop rotation, we may, to a certain
extent, control the changes in the microflora of
the soil. The introduction of antagonist cul-
tures under the plant to which they get adapted,
accelerates the enrichment of the soil by the
desirable species.
Thusfar the study of microbial antagonism
biology in the soil has not been given proper
attention. The problem, however, is of singular
significance. The understanding of the regula-
rities of development and distribution, as well
as the determination of the conditions for the
antimicrobial activity of the antagonists will
present an opportunity of making a more suc-
cessful use thereof for practical purposes. We
favourable conditions of synthesis, and under
an appropriate state of the soil, these substances
may be accumulated in quite noticeable amounts.
If the formation and the accumulation of
antibiotics in the soil proceeds in a zone availa-
ble for the roots, (in the rhizo-sphere), then they
are absorbed by the latter, and get distributed
more or less evenly in different organs and
tissues. It has been determined beyond doubt
that the plants absorb through the roots dif-
ferent antibiotic substances produced by the
microorganisms. They absorb antibiotics not
only from solutions in the form of chemically
pure preparations (Table 2) or in the form of
native substances from a cultural liquid, but
directly from the soil too. If a solution of an
antibiotic is introduced under the plant, then
some time later the antibiotic could be found
in the tissues, both of the roots and of the
overground parts (Table 3).
Table 2. Plant Absorption of Chemically
Purified Antibiotics
(Experiments In vessels with a solution of antibiotics.
Number of units In 1 II: of plant tissue)
i Wheat Peas
Antibiotics 1 _

believe that the insufficient introduction of i

Roots Leaves , Roots Leaves
antagonists into the practice of plant growing Penicillin --r150-------60 150 100
is due to the insufficient understanding of the
Steptomycin 100 20 100 30
antagonist biology, the ecology, and the con-
Grisein 120 30 150 40
ditions of their antimicrobial activity to obtain
a higher and stable effect in their practical Mycetin 100 0 100 o
Subtilin ' 300 0 80 5
employment. More profound and wider study
of the antagonism phenomena within the micro-
bial world is necessary. Attention should be Table 3. The Arrival of Antibiotics from the
paid to the antagonism of the epiphytic micro- Soil to the Plant
(Number of units In If of tissue. Soli: non-sterile. PGdzol)
flora. The lavish development of this micro- - - I

flora on the leaf surface may noticeably suppress ' Wheat i

Beans Peas
Antibiotics --- -------- ---- -- -----·-~-~i
the infection agents that come to the leaf from
_ _ _ _ _-+_R_o_ot_L_eaf ; Root Leaf Ro~: _~~~f I
the air.
It has been determined by investigations that Grisein 20 10 30 10 30 20
microbes-antagonists offer a definite action by Streptomycin 30 10 20 6 40 20
their antibiotic metabolites. Not only do they Aureomycin 20 4 20 6
protect the plants from the harmful phytopath- Terramycin 30 10 20 6
ogene forms, but they increase the plant Test plant o 0 o o o 0
resistance against them. As has been noticed
earlier, the antagonists produce antibiotic sub- The plants absorb from the soil the native
stances directly in the soil where they developed antibiotics which are produced at the same
well and where the conditions are available for place by the antagonists. If favourable con-
the synthesis of active substances. Under ditions are created in the soil for the growth
187
 :'-I. A. KRASILNIKOV

lavishly developed, had depressed these microbes

in an active way. The tissues of maize which
was cultivated in a sand substrate where the
microflora was in the main represented by the
non-antagonists, suppress the growth of Staphi-
lococcus but not Bac. mycoides and not Mycob.
citreum. The maize cultivated in sand with a
lavish development of actinomycetes-antagonists
possessed a tissue juice which noticeably
suppressed the above mentioned test organisms
just as some of the fungi of the fusarium
group.
Hence, the antibiotic substances of microbes
antagonists definitly influence the immunobiolo-
gical properties of plants, and enhance the
resistivity of their tissues and juice against
the phytopathogenic organisms involved. The
Fig. 3. Presence of antibiotic substance in plant antagonists protect plants from leasions. The
tissue juice (on Staphylococcus aureus agar). antibiotic substances are particularily interesting
Left: Control. Right: Test plant cultured in as medicinal drugs.
soil where antagonistic actinamycetes developed. As proved by numerous experiments, the
antibiotics not only protect plants from leasions
Table 4. The Absorption of Native Antibiotics
from the Soil by Plant Roots
but have a medicinal effect against different
(Number of unit/gram. Soil: non-sterile, podzol) infections.
The tremendous experience of curative medi-
Peas Wheat
Antagonists cine in the employment of antibiotics has
(actinomycetes) encouraged the investigators to test the same
Roots Leaves Roots Leaves
--- -- -
substances in plant growing. The principles of
Test plant 0 0 0 0
employment have been elaborated, and it waB
Act. strain 290 10 3 4 + determined by special experiments that the
Act. strain 287 15 3 10 2
chemically purified preparations of antibiotics
Act. strain B 2 + 4 + may be artificially administered into plants by
Note: The slgn+ means small doses. noticeable only different ways: through the surface of the
through a Quality test.
leaves and also through seeds by saturating
of the antagonist and for synthesizing by it of them in a solution.
an antibiotic and, then cultivate plant in that It has been revealed by investigations that
soil, the tissue juice of this plant would become numerous antibiotics may be absorbed at a
more bactericidal than the juice of test plants comparatively rapid rate and in large quantities
(Fig. 3). into plant tissues when they are administered
Though Table 4 shows that small amounts of through the trunks of trees. For instance, in
antibiotic substances which arrived from the 24 hours. and in case of a warm and dry
soil and which were produced by test strains, weather. the apple trees can absorb up to 1.6-2
nevertheless the amount is quite sufficient to litres of penicillin solution and practically the
suppress the growth and the development of same amount of streptomycin.
bacteria (Staphylococcu8, Bacillu8 coli com- When the crowns of plants are sprinkled the
munis and others). antibiotics may penetrate into through the
In test plants the tissues and the juice do not surface of the leaves in larger or smaller
suppress the growth of the staphylococcus, amounts. depending on the properties of the
whereas the tissues of plants cultivated in a preparation. the type of plants and the environ-
Boil where actinomycetes-antagonists had mental conditions.
188
 BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF MICROBES-ANTAGONISTS, PRODUCERS OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES
Table 5. Penicillin Arrival in Plants by
Administering through Stem
(Experiment was conducted in July. 1954)
Absorbed in five days
Plant Age --- r--
Solution
-- mC-
yeaI
Maple tree 15 20
Ash-tree 8 15
White acacia 5 10
Cherry 9 80
Bird cherry tree 15 430
Cherry tree 7 165
Apple tree 8 380
Peach tree 8 560
7 900
Apricot
The degree of saturation by antibiotics varies
greatly in different plants. It depends upon the
absorption intensity and the rate of inactivation
within the tissues. Experiments have shown
that some plants, for instance, apple trees,
cherry, cherry trees, bird cherry trees, and
peaches absorb the antibiotic of penicillin
rapidly and in large amounts, whereas such
plants as the maple tree, lime tree, and birch
tree absorb the antibiotic of penicillin in very
small amounts and very slowly.
The intensity on antibiotic absorption changes
radically depending on the weather. On warm
and dry days the absorption proceeds quicker
than in cold and humid weather. For instance,
in the experiments made at the NIKITSKY
Botanical Gardens in Yalta, in 1954, we had
the following results: in May, when air tem-
perature was 13AoC. and soil temperature
14.2°C and a relative air humidity is 92%,
the amounts of penicillin absorbed by fruit
trees were as follows: peach trees 95, apricots
100, cherry trees 57 ml; in August, when the
weather was drier and hotter with a mean
temperature of 24.3°C for the air and 23°C for
the soil and a relative air humidity of 41%,
the same plants had absorbed: 560,900 and 165
ml, respectively. (1 ml of solution contained
10000 units)
The analysis of separate parts of the test
plants has shown that under dry and hot wea-
ther the penetration and the distribution of the
absorbed antibiotic proceeds at a much more
rapid pace than when the weather is cold and
humid. The August analysis revealed the pre-
sence of penicillin in leaves in several hours
following administering, whereas in May the
same antibiotic was not revealed before 24
-----
hours had gone by.
Antibiotic
It has been determined by the method of
X .lO'unit
20 luminescent analysis that the antibiotic sub~
15 stances penetrate the cells through the shells,
10 saturate their separate parts there, the nucleus,
80 the plastides and others. This is well shown
430 by the experiments with antibiotics which pos-
165 sess fluorochromium properties (mycetin, ter-
380 ramycin and others). The concentration of
560 antibiotic substances in plant tissues is also
900
determined by the time of their conservation
in the tissues. It is known that the antibiotics
are destroyed and inactivated in the tissues of
live organisms. In animals they are withdrawn
and destroyed rather quickly. The penecillin
or streptomycin can not be revealed in the
tissues several hours after the administering.
Quite often they are withdrawn in one or two
hours. In plants, the introduced antibiotics are
preserved for days and even weeks. The chemi-
cally pure preparations of grisein and strepto-
mycin and also of some of the native antibiotics
obtained from actinomycetes are found in the
tissues of plants (cotton, citrus plants, cherry
tree) in 20-25 days after administering per root,
stem or seeds.
By far not all the plants preserve the intro-
duced antibiotics for such a long time. In many
species the penicillin, streptomycin, grisein and
other disappear quite quickly, in one or two
days after administering. In apricots, peach
trees, cherries and apple trees the penicillin is
revealed in the leaves when 350-500 thousand
units per tree are administered, whereas it is
not detected in maple trees, ash tree, lime tree
and acacia even when larger doses are intro-
duced.
When penicillin and streptomycin are admini-
stered into a trunk of a ten-year old birch tree,
in the amount of 7-15 million units per tree,
at a rate of approximately 300-600 units per 1
g of the wood mass, we do not detect them in
36 hours, either in the leaves or in the bran-
ches. Only in the trunk and at a distance not
more than 10-20 cm from the places of admini-
stering are they detected in the form of traces.
189
 N. A. KRASILNIKOV

before 20-30 hours. When

Table 6. Inactivation Degree of Antibiotics Absorbed
by Different Plants the strain of a phytopatho-
(Numbf'r of units/g. Inaotlvatlon In 24 hours followin~ admlnist~rin~) gene fungus, Fusarium sp.
poisons the seedlings of a
Penicillin Streptomycin Grisein pine tree, it quickly penetrate
Plant
Absorp- Inactiva- Absorp- Inactiva- Absorp- Inactiva- the plant tissues, causing
-- - - - - _ . - . -tion tion ---------
tion tion tion tion
-~-

their leasion and death. If

Birch tree 1800 1000 300 200 500 350
the seedlings are treated,
Cherry tree 1600 700 450 200 600 200 either in advance or shortly
Apricots 2500 500 600 100 450 100 after poisoning, by an anti-
Apple tree 2000 800 500 100 400 100 biotic (preparation 121), the
strain either does not pen-
The difference in the conservation time of etrate the tissues at all or penetrates but
antibiotics in the tissues of various plants is itself perishes comparatively quickly there. The
due to the unequal ability of the plants to plants grow normally.
inactivate them. Some species of plants quickly The employed antibiotics should not be toxic
inactivate the administered antibiotics, while for the plants. It is known that among the
others do so slowly. In keeping with our antibiotic substances formed by microbes, there
observations the tissues of a birch tree which are strongly and weakly toxic preparations.
have absorbed 1800 units/g inactivate approxi- Such antibiotics as mycerin, subtilin, glyotoxin
mately 1000 units/g in course of 24 hours, and other induce strong poisoning in plants by
while the tissues of apple trees, peach trees and a comparatively small doses (Fig. 4). Cla-
apricots inactivate in the same time not more vacyn, for instance, suppresses the growth of
than 600 units/g from 2000-3000 (Table 6). cereal roots at a dilution of 1: 100000; subtilin
The antibiotic substances suppress the cells of depresses the germination of wheat and pea
microbes within the tissues of plants quite seeds at a dilution of 1: 100000-1000000.
intensively and more strongly than in the body Streptomycin, aureomycin, terramycin, grisein
of an animal. The bacteria: Bact. coli, Bact. and other may be classed with the antibiotics
prodigiosum, Pseudomonas jluorescens and which posess weak toxicity. They may be
ot.hers, artificially introduced into the stem of accumulated in plant tissue up to 500-1000
peas or beans had perished in our experiments units/g without any noticeable poisoning. The
in 2-6 hours due to streptomycin action, whe- penecillin is practically non-toxic. Its poisoning
reas in test plants these bacteria did not perish effect is recorded only when we deal with con-
centrations exceeding 3000 units/g.
In actual conditions there is no need of
administering exceedingly high doses of anti-
biotics into plants since the antimicrobial action
thereof is exhibited in doses which are much
below the ones mentioned. For instance, peni-
cillin in pea tissues suppresses the staphylococci
at a concentration of 5-6 units/g, while Bacillua
mycoidesIat a dose of 10-15 units/g.
Streptomycin in wheat tissues inhibits the
development of Bacillus coli communis and
Pseudomonas jluorescens at the concentration
of 10 units/g. It is possible to choose, even for
strongly toxic antibiotics, such curative doses
Fig. 4. Growth inhibition of corn coused by a that do not cause any noticeable poisoning of
toxic substance formed by actinoml/ces in a plant. It is certainly better to employ non-
Boil. Left: Control. Right: TeBted plant. toxic or weakly toxic preparations. There are
190
 BIOLOGICAL ROLE OF MICROBES-ANTAGONISTS, PRODUCERS OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTA:":CES

certain data indicating that the plants may be

subject to the so-called chronic poisonings. The
plants suffer without any noticeable cause, their
growth is delayed, their harvest yields are below
the standard, the blossoming is delayed or it is
weak. Being subjected to an analysis, no in-
fection is usually detected. The plants suffer
a violation of some functions or other. These
physiological disturbances, as far as we can
see, are due at least in some cases, to the toxic
influence of microbial metabolites, including the
antibiotics-toxins. The chronic poisoning may
be induced by weakly toxic antibiotics too,
provided they are administered for a long time Fig. 5. Stimulatory action of microbiol metabolite
and without appropriate control. In laboratory on growth of cucumber. Left: Control.
Right: Plant tested.
experiments the chronic plant poisoning: is
noticeably revealed by aureomycin, terramycin
and certain other preparations. The strepto-
mycin inhibits the function of chlorophyll
synthesis. The seeds of wheat or maize treated
with a streptomycin solution germinate without
the synthesis of chlorophyll. The seedlings
grow, being perfectly ethiolated. Such plants
nore delayed in their growth and perish if they
do not recuperate from the toxicosis.
Our collection has several antibiotic substances
which act electively only upon the root system
or on the processes of blossoming and fruiting.
In other cases we deal with an inverse influence Fig. 6. Effects of metabolite of antagonistic
of antibiotics. Besides the curative action they actinomllcetes on growth of pea "Pioner".
stimulate the growth and development of plants Left: Control. Right: Plant tested.
or of their separate functions and processes.
Penicillin, for instance, has a stimulating pro-
perty. Under its influence the maize seedlings,
the seedlings of flax, and fruit trees, grow
, t
quicker and have a greater growth increment
than the test samples. Grisein as well as
mycetin also has a stimulating influence in
small concentrations, and some other too. Some
native antibiotics of actinomyces origin quite
noticeably activate the growth of plants. In
keeping with the observations of ASKAROVA,
preparation 114,121 accelerate the growth of
cotton and increase the cotton crop noticeably.
The stimulating action upon the growth of
plants offerred by native antibiotics has been
recorded by KORENYAKO, KUCHAYEVA, KAFA-
NOVA, and others (Fig. 5, 6).
Fig. 7. Gibberellin-like action on spinach caused
We have obtained, from one actinomyces
by antibiotic No. 070 obtained from actinomyces
(Actinomyces sp.) strain 070, a preparation with sp. Left: Control. Right: Plant te8ted.
191
 N. A. KRASILNIKOV
radically expressed stimulating properties. By
its action upon the growth of plants this
preparation resembles gibberellines (Fig. 7). It
stimulates the growth of cucumbers, their
flowering and fruiting. However, unlike the
gibberellines it does not alter the nature of
flowering, positively influences the growth of
peas and in a somewhat weaker way the growth
of maize.
In some of the antibiotics we have recorded an
organotroppic action upon the plants. It should be
also mentioned that the stimulating action of antibio-
tics is recorded by animal breeders in their experi-
ments with the young. It is known that the addition
of small doses of antibiotics into the rations of calves
and of chicks particularly, radically accelerates the
live weight increment. The mechanism of this in-
fluence has not been fully determined, but many
authors are inclined to ascribe it to the stimulating
properties of the antibiotics themselves.
A comparison of these data with the evidence
accumulated in the experiments with plants tends to
offer an analogy. Couldn't this action be common for
definite antibiotics? It is quite possible that the
mechanism of their influence upon the cells is quite
the same in both cases. If this is the case, then it
might be more advisable to conduct our experiments on
plants to settle the problem. This material shows that
the employment of antibiotics in plant growing is a
complex affair necessitating definite methods and
conditions as well as requiring the consideration of
ecological, specific and other conditions. The success
or failure in the employment of antibiotic substances
depends on the weather conditions, the state and the
age of plants, the properties of antibiotics, and finally
upon the peculiarities of the disease agent. In every
concrete case different methods had to be used for the
employment of the preparations and the efficiency of
one or another antibiotic has to be determined ex-
perimel1tally.
Regardless the imperfection of our knowledge in
the employment of antibiotics in plant growing we
have nevertheless obtained quite favourable results in
many cases. Positive results have been gained not
only in laboratory conditions or under the conditions
of a vegetative experiment, but in field conditions in
commercial fields, too.
As is known, good results were obtained by ASKA-
ROVA who used native antibiotics to control cotton
gommosis. MIRZABEK~AN had successfully treated with
the grisein preparation apricots trees afr"ected by
"bacterial fading". BELTYUKOVA had used antibi~tic
192
microcide for plant curing. We have successfully
tested specially selected native antibiotics for curing
garden roses affected by Meal dew etc. (See KRASlL-
NIKOV, 1958). At present, antibiotic preparations are
being tested on a wide scale and in many cases. They
are commercially employed in plant growing. The
most widespread research in this field is conducted in
the United States. A number of American firms are
producing special antibiotic preparations for the
employment in plant growing. Agrimycin 100, agri-
strep, phytomycin, accostreptomycin and others. As
it is seen from publications and reports delivered at
the symposiums, the best results are obtained when
the antibiotic preparations are used in gardening.
Successful results have been recorded in the treatment
of fruit trees, apricots, peach trees, plum trees, cherry
and cherry trees.
In many cases succesful exeriments have been made
in using the antibiotic preparations to cure leguminous
plants and the nut bearing trees. Not bad results
have been obtained in vegetable growing, in curing
lettuce, celery, tomatoes, pepper, potatoes, etc.
Large scale experiments are conducted for the
employment of antibiotics to treat cereals and grain
crops in general (See KRASILNIKOV, 1958).
In our country antibiotic subtances are being tested
in plant growing by many experts in different towns
and republics.
The experience thus far accumulated shows that in
a number of cases good results have been obtained in
our country and there are sufficient grounds to recom-
mend certain antibiotics for commercial employment
in agriculture.
However, positive results are more frequent in
laboratory and vegetative vessel experiments. When
the experiments are conducted on a commercial basis
there is either no effect at all or it is a weak one.
Most likely, this is not due to lack of the activity of
antibiotic substances but due to environmental con.
ditions the nature of which remains unknown to us.
Similar data are recorded in the employment of other
biological preparations in farming. It is known, for
instance, that gibberelline Aa has a strikingly strong
effect upon plants, and stimulates not only their growth
but alters the nature of their development, flowering
and fruiting. This effect is obtained only in hot and
glass houses. In the fields, under the conditions of
an open soil, the given substance either fails to
influence the growth of plants or the influence is
very mildly expressed. Similar data may be presented
about other biotic substances-vitamins, auxines and
other compounds.
As we learn more about the mechanism and
the conditions of operation of aU these biologi·
 BIOLCX;ICAL ROLE OF MICROBES-ANTAGONISTS, PRODUCES OF ANTIBIOTIC SUBSTANCES
cally active microbial metabolites, the efficiency
of their employment in plant growing increases.
It can be said with certainty that the antibiotic
substances will be just as effective in plant
growing as they are in medicine when we learn
to use them rationally. In this field, the experts
in different fields: microbiologists, chemists,
physiologists, agrobiologists and others are
facing an extensive field of scientific research.
Another, just as important, task is the finding
of new antibiotics. We cannot be quite content
with only those preparation which are presently
employed in medicine and are commercially
produced. A large scale search for antibiotic
substances in this field is being simplified since
for plant treatment it is possible to employ
preparations which are not purified and are not
treated by a cultural liquid. Our experience
shows that the native preparations are in many
cases just as effective and at times even more
effective as compared with the chemically pure
substances. The same thing has been reported
in the practice of American experts and this
has encouraged certain firms to commence
manufacturing of moderately purified prepara-
tions.
193
There is no need in proving that the search
for antibiotics should be conducted as applica-
ble to a definite test, i.e., to an agent of one
or another disease. Such purposeful research
is successful and rational.
A great handicap for the employwent of
scientific accomplishments in farming is the
absence of appropriate commercial or semi-
commercial facilities where preparations could
be manufatured in sufficient amounts. For a
successful development of antibiotic evolving
and for the study of their biological influence
upon plants, the leading laboratories at least,
should be enlarged and augmented by staffing
them with the appropriate number of chemists
and equipping them with small size fermenta-
tion installations. These laboratories should
manufacture with their installations such
amounts of preparations that would suffice for
trying field tests.
The state of affairs concerning the study of
the chemistry of the new antibiotics, leaves
much to be desired. The institutes of chemistry
and the experts in chemistry should devote more
attention to these microbial metabolites.