An enrichment technique for auxotrophs of Agrobacterium tumefaciens using a combination of carbenicillin and lysozyme.

A procedure to enrich for auxotrophic and fermentation mutants of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is described. The method is based on the amplification of the killing power of carbenicillin by the addition of lysozyme. Isolation frequencies of some types of mutants are presented, with and without the application of the proposed procedure. The yield of mutants is usually enhanced a hundredfold per enrichment treatment.