Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of Antibiotic-Producing Bacteria from the Phyllosphere of Zea mays

Plants are a largely untapped source of antibiotic-producing microorganisms. In this study, 237 bacteria were isolated from the leaf surface of field-grown <i>Zea mays</i> . Screening 49 Gammaproteobacteria isolates for antibiotic activity identified eighteen isolates of interest. These findings underscore the plant phyllosphere as a valuable reservoir for discovering novel antibiotics.