Isolation and Characterization of Bacterial Isolates from potato Rhizosphere as Potent Plant Growth Promoters

Beneficial bacteria that colonize plant roots and enhance plant growth by a wide variety of mechanisms of interaction with the biological, physical and chemical properties of soil are plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR directly promote plant development by nitrogen fixation, production of plant hormones, lowering of ethylene, enhance iron availability, and phosphate solubilization or indirectly by inducing resistance against plant pathogen, co mpeting for nutrient and space. The use of PGPR in sustainable crop protection has drawn much attention in recent years. In the present study, we have isolated, screened and characterized the PGPR from the rhizosphere soil of potato field. Rhizobacterium isolated from rhizospheric soils of potato collected from Lokhandi potato field Bilaspur C.G, India, its name was tentatively designated as sample 9. Isolate sample 9 induced the production of siderophores, ammonia, catalase and solubilize phosphorus. After characterizing the isolate sample 9 for growth promoting activities, it was biochemicaly and molecularly characterized, by 16S rRNA sequencing and identified by 16S rRNA as Enterobacter cloacae strain AB2. The present study, therefore, explore microbe E. cloacae strain AB2 as PGPR that can be used as biofertilizers and may offers an attractive way to replace chemical fertilizers. K e y w o r d s