Beneficial plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere are primary determinants of plant health and soil fertility. The effect of combined inoculation of plant growth-promoting bacteria, Bacillus circulans EB 35, Serratia marcescens EB 67 and Pseudomonas sp. CDB 35 and arbascular mycorrhizal fungi, Glomus spp. on sorghum growth and mycorrhizal colonization was investigated. Plant growth observations taken at 45 days after sowing (DAS) revealed that all the three strains applied along with arbascular mycorrhizae (AM) improved plant biomass from 17 to 20% and mycorrhizal colonization from 25 to 35%. Further studies at 90 DAS also showed improvement in plant growth parameters measured. It was apparent that all the three strains stimulated plant and root growth in combination with AM and infection of sorghum roots with mycorrhizae at 45 DAS was equal to or even greater than the AM + rock phosphate (RP) inoculation at 90 DAS. This shows the possible reduction of AM culturing period to 45 days compared to its 3-month culturing in the pot cultures.

Aims: Development of cost-effective production medium by applying statistical designs for single-step fermentation of starch (corn flour -CF) to l-(+) lactic acid, using inexpensive nitrogen sources as substitutes for peptone and yeast extract in MRS medium by amylolytic Lactobacillus amylophilus GV6.

A serine alkaline protease from a newly isolated alkaliphilic Bacillus altitudinis GVC11 was purified and characterized. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity by acetone precipitation, DEAE-cellulose anion exchange chromatography with 7.03-fold increase in specific activity and 15.25% recovery. The molecular weight of alkaline protease was estimated to be 28 kDa by SDS PAGE and activity was further assessed by zymogram analysis. The enzyme was highly active over a wide range of pH 8.5 to 12.5 with an optimum pH of 9.5. The optimum temperature of purified enzyme was 45 °C and Ca(2+) further increased the thermal stability of the enzyme. The enzyme activity was enhanced by Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) and inhibited by Hg(2+). The present study is the first report to examine and describe production of highly alkaline protease from Bacillus altitudinis and also its remarkable dehairing ability of goat hide in 18 h without disturbing the collagen and hair integrity.

Banana is a major cash crop of many regions generating good amount of waste after harvest. This agro waste which is left for natural degradation is used as substrate for single step ethanol fermentation by thermophilic, cellulolytic, ethanologenic Clostridium thermocellum CT2, a new culture isolated from elephant droppings. Scanning electron microscopic pictures clearly indicate cellulolysis and close interaction of selected isolate CT2 with cellulose. The optimum conditions for cellulose fermentation were 60°C, pH 7.5, inoculums size 5% and incubation time 5 days. Ethanol produced and reducing sugars were estimated by gas chromatography. Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum HG8 and Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus ATCC 31937 were used in coculture fermentation with CT2. Coculture fermentation of CT2 with HG8 was more efficient in terms of ethanol production, cellulose degradation and reducing sugars utilization. A maximum ethanol yield of 0.41g/g substrate used was obtained on coculturing CT2 with HG8 on alkali treated banana waste. Coculture was active even at substrate concentrations up to 100 g/l, a maximum ethanol of 22 g/l was obtained at 100 g/l substrate concentration on coculturing CT2 with HG8. This is the first report on anaerobic single step conversion of banana waste to ethanol by C. thermocellum.