ABSTRACT
Members of the genus Pseudomonas (the pseudomonads), for example, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescence, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are used in environmental biotechnology as active degraders of xenobiotics in wastewater treatment and soil bioremediation. These organisms oxidize aliphatic hydrocarbons, monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, halogenated aliphatic and aromatic compounds, and different pesticides and oxidize or cometabolize halogenated ethanes and methanes. Biodegradation often depends on the presence of specic plasmids. Therefore, both native and genetically engineered strains with amplied and diverse degradation ability are used in environmental engineering. Some selected strains of the genus Pseudomonas are used instead of chemical biocides to control plant diseases. Other active biodegraders are species from the genera Alcaligenes, Acinetobacter, Burkholderia, Comamonas, and Flavobacterium. Representatives of the genus Xantomonas are also active biodegraders, but many of the species are phytopathogenic. Therefore, they cannot be used for soil bioremediation but can be used as the test cultures to test new biocides for agriculture.
