RESUMO
Fluorescent pseudomonads were isolated from the rhizosphere of rice and sugarcane and examined for their biodiversity. All fifty strains of the fluorescent pseudomonads produced indole acetic acid. Among these pseudomonads, halves of sugarcane rhizosphere isolates and one isolate from the rice rhizosphere exhibited phosphate solubilization activity. On the contrary, majority of the rice rhizosphere pseudomonads, and one isolate from sugarcane rhizosphere exhibited antifungal activity. These fluorescent pseudomonads were further classified based on their growth and biochemical characteristics. Those isolates that had same biochemical characteristics were distinguished by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). These biochemical and molecular biological methods clearly differentiated fluorescent Pseudomonads of rice and sugarcane rhizosphere.