Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>The species composition of a <jats:italic>Burkholderia cepacia</jats:italic> complex population naturally occurring in the maize rhizosphere was investigated by using both culture‐dependent and culture‐independent methods. <jats:italic>B. cepacia</jats:italic> complex isolates were recovered from maize root slurry on the two selective media <jats:italic>Pseudomonas cepacia</jats:italic> azelaic acid tryptamine (PCAT) and trypan blue tetracycline (TB‐T) and subjected to identification by a combination of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and species‐specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests of the <jats:italic>recA</jats:italic> gene. DNA extracted directly from root slurry was examined by means of nested PCR to amplify <jats:italic>recA</jats:italic> gene with species‐specific <jats:italic>B. cepacia</jats:italic> complex primers and to obtain a library of PCR amplified <jats:italic>recA</jats:italic> genes. Using the culture‐dependent method the species <jats:italic>Burkholderia cepacia</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Burkholderia cenocepacia</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>Burkholderia ambifaria</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Burkholderia pyrrocinia</jats:italic> were identified, whereas using the culture‐independent method also the species <jats:italic>Burkholderia vietnamiensis</jats:italic> was detected. The latter method also allowed us to highlight a higher diversity within the <jats:italic>B. cenocepacia</jats:italic> species. In fact, by using the culture‐independent method the species <jats:italic>B. cenocepacia recA</jats:italic> lineages IIIA and IIID besides <jats:italic>B. cenocepacia recA</jats:italic> lineage IIIB were detected. Moreover, higher heterogeneity of <jats:italic>recA</jats:italic> RFLP patterns was observed among clones assigned to the species <jats:italic>B. cenocepacia</jats:italic> than among <jats:italic>B. cenocepacia</jats:italic> isolates from selective media.</jats:p>