The vir genes expression of Ti plasmid is induced by a family of related phenolic compounds. We investigated the effects of various phenolic compounds, Ti plasmids and hosts on the expression of the vir genes in the same type of octopine Ti plasmids, pTiKU12, pTiAch5 and pTiA6. The vir gene induction of pTiKU12 was remarkably stimulated by p-coumaric acid in relation to acetosyringone, but those of pTiAch5 and pTiA6 were more stimulated by acetosyringone than by p-coumaric acid. The effect of phenolic compound on the vir gene induction was different according to the kind of Ti plasmids. Also, the vir gene expression of A. tumefaciens KU913, which has pTiKU12 was about 6.2 times as much as that of A. tumefaciens KU915, which has pTiKU12 in KU12 host, in the presence of ferulic acid. But no difference was shown in the presence of p-coumaric acid. The vir gene induction abilities of phenolic compounds are different according to the kinds of phenolic compounds, Ti plasmids and hosts.