Disclosed are bacteria and methods for promoting growth of Racomitrium canescens, tobacco, barley and soybean. The bacteria are selected from the methanol-utilizing bacteria deposited under Accession numbers FERM BP-11078, FERM BP-11079, FERM BP-11080 and FERM BP-11071, respectively which bacteria belong to the genus Methylobacterium. The methods are a method for promoting growth of protonemata of Racomitrium canescens which method is characterized by culturing the protonemata in the presence of the bacteria and a method for promoting growth of a seed plant selected from the group consisting of tobacco, barley and soybean which method is characterized by culturing seeds of the seed plant while contacting the seeds with the bacterium deposited under Accession number FERM BP-11078 which is one of the above-mentioned bacteria.
