Quantitative selective PCR of 16S ribosomal DNA correlates well with selective agar plating in describing population dynamics of indigenous Pseudomonas spp. in soil hot spots.

We used a quantitative PCR method targeting 16S ribosomal DNA using competitive PCR for specific detection of indigenous Pseudomonas DNA in soil hot spots. The amount of Pseudomonas DNA corresponded to the number of culturable Pseudomonas bacteria on Gould's S1 agar. This represents the first use of PCR for quantification of indigenous bacteria in more than one sample of soil.