ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF POTENTIAL PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING BACTERIA PSB FROM TIDAL SALINE SOILS OF BANGLADESH
Phosphorus is one of the major nutrients which play an indispensable biochemical role in photosynthesis, respiration, energy storage and transfer, cell division, cell enlargement and several other processes in the living plant. Many soil bacteria and fungi have the ability to solubilize phosphate minerals and make it available to plants. Thus, an attempt was made to isolate and screen potential phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) which can able to solubilize phosphate and be used as biofertilizer in future. Rice rhizosphere soil samples from the different sites of Khulna and Patuakhali district were collected and each sample was enriched in Pikovskaya's medium, pH 7.5 at 27 degC for 5 days. Nine isolates (DMP1, DMP2, DMP3, KNP4, KNP5, KNP6, KKP7, KKP8 and KKP9) were screened using Pikovskaya's liquid medium. All the isolates were oval to rod shaped, motile and gram positive and gram negative. Biochemical tests indicated that they were obligate aerobes, catalase and starch hydrolysis positive. The phosphate released by the isolate ranged from 4.048 mg/L to 21.128 mg/L. The results revealed that the KNP4, KKP7, KNP5, DMP3 and DMP2 isolates had potential to solubilize the insoluble phosphate in the salt affected soil. Keyword: Biochemical; Biofertilizer; PSB; Rhizosphere. Postal Address: Department of Soil Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Dumki, Patuakhali8602, Bangladesh Phone: +88 01717372057