[Growth of epiphytic and soil yeasts on wheat seedlings]

Colonization of wheat seedlings by epiphytic (Rhodotorula glutinis) and soil (Lipomyces starkeyi) yeasts was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Epiphytic yeast cells dominated on the plant surface. Soil yeast cells were randomly distributed among both the zones of a seedling and the particles of an inorganic substrate. It has been found that epiphytic yeast strains can readily grow on the surface of a plant.