TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Method: The actinomycete in improving plant productivity is a nucleotide sequence which has at least about 45 % similarity to all or part of any of SEQ ID NO: 1-30, where the similarity is 50 %, preferably 55 %, more preferably 60 %, still more preferably 65 %, even more preferably 70 % and most preferably 80 %. The actinomycete is EN2, EN27, PM87, EN3, EN16, EN23, EN28, EN46 or EN60, and/or EN5, EN6, EN17, EN19, EN39, EN57, PM36, PM40, PM185, PM208, PM342, EN7, EN9, EN26, EN35, SE1, SE2, PM41, PM171, PM228 or PM252. The metabolite is auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, indole acetic acid, kinetin or signal molecule able to induce resistance in plants, and/or is an antibiotic compound. The productivity is growth promotion characteristics and/or bio-control characteristics. The growth promotion characteristic is one or more of rate of growth, plant vigor, yield of flower/fruit/grain, vitality of crop or improved seed germination. The bio-control characteristic is a decrease in susceptibility to pathogen infection or an increase in the clearance efficiency of infection. The plant is a cereal crop that is a wheat, barley, maize, triticale, rye, oats, canary, sorghum, millet or rice. The bio-control activity is also a bio-control in relation to Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, Pythium ssp., Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium sp., insect or nematode. The insect is an aphid. The plant is a cereal plant. The actinomycete is selected from EN2, EN3, EN16, EN27, EN60 or PM87 and the improved productivity is improved plant growth promotion. When the actinomycete is selected from EN6, EN9, EN57, SE1, SE3, PM185 or PM208, the improved productivity is improved plant growth promotion, preferably germination promotion, where the plant is a cereal plant. When the actinomycete is selected from EN9, EN35, EN57, SE1 or SE2, the improved productivity is improved bio-control activity and improved plant growth promotion. When the actinomycete is selected from EN2, EN3, ENl6, EN23, EN27, EN28, EN46 or PM87, the improved productivity is improved bio-control activity that is bio-control in relation to aphids. The cereal plant is wheat, barley, maize, rye, triticale, oats, canary seed, sorghum, millet or rice. Improving plant productivity further comprises introducing into the plant or propagation material the endophytic actinomycete strains or their variants, mutants or homologs, where actinomycetes facilitate induction of at least one characteristic related to improved productivity, and/or one or more metabolites derived from the actinomycetes or its derivative, homolog, analog, chemical equivalent or mimetic, to induce, in the subject plant, the characteristic, and where the at least two endophytic actinomycete strains are selected from EN2, EN9 and EN23, EN9, EN27 and EN28, and EN39 and EN46.Preferred Actinomycete: The new, isolated endophytic actinomycete having SEQ ID NO: 1-2, 7, 10, 12-13, 16, 18, 24, 3-6, 8-9, 11, 14-15, 17, 19-23, or 25-30 corresponds to EN2 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35895), EN3 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/36501), EN16 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35605), EN23 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35605), EN27 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35606), EN28 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35607), EN46 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/34609), EN60 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35896), PM87 (AGAL Deposit No. NM03/35608), EN5, EN6, EN7, EN9, EN17, EN19, EN26, EN35, EN39, EN57, SE1, SE2, PM36, PM40, PM41, PM171, PM185, PM208, PM228, PM252 and PM342, respectively. ACTIVITY - Plant Protectant; Plant Growth Stimulant; Antibacterial; Antimicrobial; Fungicide; Insecticide; Nematocide.    MECHANISM OF ACTION - None given.