DIVERSITY OF BENEFICIAL BACTERIA IN TAMHINI GHAT REGION OF WESTERN GHATS, M.S., INDIAVaibhav B. Shelar, Sandhya V. Yadav, Kiran B. Landage, Pooja R. Veer, Govardhan D. Bansode and Sudnya H. ShindeAbstract The present study investigates that the isolation of beneficial bacteria from a soil sample collected from the Tamhini Ghat region of the Western Ghats. In October 2022, 15 soil samples were collected from Tamhini Ghat. Five different beneficial bacteria were isolated from these collected soil samples and characterized morphologically. The beneficial bacteria like Azotobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Azospirillum spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Frateuria spp. Isolation of these bacteria was carried out on a specific medium and observed after three days of the incubation period at 28±2 0C temperature. These isolated bacteria were purified on slants prepared by using a specific medium and stored at 4 0C for further study and observed under a microscope by performing a Gram staining test. These beneficial bacteria can be used for biofertilizer formulation in future studies. All over India, farmers are using chemical fertilizers, which directly impact beneficial soil microbe that leads to decreased soil health. For improving soil health, it is the need of the hour to integrate the use of chemical fertilizers along with biofertilizers as per the recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) given by the agricultural universities for the specific crops. |