A strain S-1231 isolated from specimen of soil around Beijing area is gram-negative, non-sporing, motile by peritrichous flagella. It produces exopolysaccharide succinoglycan from carbohydrates as its carbon source but not starch and cellulose. Acid is produced during fermentation of glucose. Growing for 12-24 hr, the cells are rods 0.7-0.8 x 1.3-1.5 microns, round ended, single or in pairs. Colonies on nutrient agar plate are unpigmented, circular, raised, smooth and moist-glistening, edge entire. The organism produces 3-ketolactose and is unable to invade sunflower tissue. The G+C content of DNA is 62.8-63.4 mol%. The organism is referred to as Agrobacterium radiobacter. Moreover, the strain is oxidase-positive, catalase-positive, H2S-produce and can grow at 35 degrees C and 2% NaCl also. Litmus milk is alkalified. Thus, the organism was renamed Agrobacterium radiobacter biovar I. Component analyses showed that the exopolysaccharide (Agran-S) from A. radiobacter biovar I S-1231 consisted of D-glucose (69.1%), D-galactose (8.6%), pyruvic acid (9.5%) and succinic acid (10.5%). Methylation analyses revealed that the polysaccharide Agran-S contained following main structural units: (1-->3)-linked D-glucose (21.2%), (1-->3)-linked D-galactose (11.4%), (1-->6)-linked D-glucose (10.5%), (1-->4)-linked D-glucose (30.4%), (1-->4, 1-->6)-linked D-glucose (22.2%) and terminal D-glucose (4.3%). The -1H-NMR spectrum of the polysaccharide indicated that the linkages in the polymer are all beta-glycosidic. The IR spectra of the polysaccharide revealed the presence of ester linkage in polysaccharide Agran-S.