[Role of the surface and extracellular substances of the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris in its interactions with cabbage plants].

Changes in some physiological and biochemical characteristics of cabbage (cv. Slava) seedling roots in response to inoculation with the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris and its surface and extracellular substances were evaluated. Seven days after the inoculation, the growth of the roots was slightly suppressed and they contained increased amounts of peroxidase. The effect of the lipopolysaccharides stripped from the cell surface or isolated from the culture liquid of X. campestris was similar to that of the whole cells of the phytopathogen. The bacterial lectin isolated from the cell surface material did not induce any defense response in cabbage plants but, presumably, could play a role in the contact interactions between bacteria and plants.