Isolation and Enumeration on Beneficiary Microbes from the Soils of Punjab

Harleen Kaur Talwar, Anshu Sibbal Chatli

Abstract: Certain beneficiary microbes viz. free living Nitrogen fixer (Azotobacter), associative Nitrogen fixer (Azospirillum) and Pseudomonas fluorescens were isolated from the soil samples of Ashoka in Ludhiana and Kharar, Punjab. During microbial population enumeration certain antagonistic interaction by bacteria (Bacillus) against other microbes have been reported. The population of all the microbes was more in rhizosphere than that of non-rhizosphere. The highest population of bacteria was reported in Model Town, Ludhiana (280 x 104/g soil) followed in Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana (65 x 104/g soil) and least was reported in Kharar (60 x 104/g soil). Azotobacter showed maximum frequency than that of Azospirillum and Pseudomonas. The highest percentage of Azotobacter was reported in Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana (29.23 %) followed by Model Town, Ludhiana (17.14 %) and least in kharar (15.00 %). The population of Azospirillum was also highest in Pakhowal Road, Ludhiana (53.84 %) and least in Kharar (3.33 %). Similarly, Pseudomonas also showed higher frequency in Pakhowal road, Ludhiana (24.1 %).

Keywords: Beneficiary microbes, Ashoka, Soil samples