amaas - nbaim.icar.gov.in
TRANSCRIPT
Kusmaur, P. Box No. 6, P.O. : Kaithauli, Mau Nath Bhanjan - 275 101 (U.P.)Phone: 0547-2530080, Fax : 0547-2530358E.mail : [email protected] Visit us at: www.nbaim.org
NATIONAL BUREAU OF AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT MICROORGANISMS
Published byProf. Dilip K Arora, Director
Nodal Centre of AMAAS
NATIONAL BUREAU OF AGRICULTURALLYIMPORTANT MICROORGANISMS
www.nbaim.org
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AMAAS
at a glanceat a glanceCompiled by
Dr. Rajeev Kaushik
Design by
Manish Kumar JainAnchal Kumar Srivastava
Mission LeaderDr. Mangala Rai Secretary (DARE) & Director GeneralIndian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
Network LeaderDr. P. L. GautamDeputy Director General (Crop Sciences)Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
Network Coordinator at ICAR LevelDr. T. P. RajendranAssistant Director General (Plant Protection)Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi
National CoordinatorProf. Dilip K. AroraDirector,National Bureau of Agriculturally Important MicroorganismsMau Nath Bhanjan
First Review Meeting of the AMAAS Project held at NBAIM, Mau
Second Review Meeting of the AMAAS Project held at NASC Complex, New Delhi
Launching Meeting of AMAAS at NBAIM, Mau
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AMAASAMAASA Network Project on 'Application of Microorganisms in Agriculture and Allied Sectors (AMAAS) was approved by
thICAR in the last year of X plan (2006-07) to the National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM), Mau as Nodal Centre with 48 different centres throughout the country. AMAAS was developed to initiate and strengthen the R&D efforts on various microbes based technologies under following major themes:
Major Themes :Ø Microbial Diversity and Identification
Ø Nutrient Management, PGPR and Biocontrol
Ø Agrowaste Management, Bioremediation and Microbes in Post Harvest and Processing
Ø Microbial Management of abiotic stress
Ø Microbial Genomics
Ø Microbial Genomic Resource Repository
Ø Human Resource Development
The technologies emerging out of network project shall be utilized for:
ü Increase Crop Production
ü Manage Agrowaste,
ü For Bioremediation
ü Manage Abiotic Stresses
ü For Biocontrol of Important Insect Pests
ü For Post Harvest and Processing
Major Objectives :
Ø Deciphering the structural and functional diversity of microorganisms of extreme environments under different agro-ecological zones of India.
Ø Characterization of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria and to develop bioconsortium for enhanced growth and yield of important crop plants.
Ø Formulation of microbe or microbe-based preparations for biocontrol of phytopathogens, insect pests and weeds.
Ø Development of microbe-based technologies for agrowaste management and biodegradation for sustainable crop production.
Ø Harnessing microbial activities for bioremediation of organic and inorganic environmental pollutants.
Ø Management of abiotic stresses using microorganisms.
Ø Development of microbe mediated processes for product development and value addition in agriculture.
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Theme-wise Detailed Objectives
1. Microbial Diversity and Identification
Objectives
· Microbial diversity analysis from various ecoregions/exotic environments.
�
land use practices, including stressed ecosystems.
· Identification of microorganisms using conventional and molecular techniques.
· Application of some important microbes in agriculture and allied sectors for enhancing crop productivity
Sub-Thematic Areas in the Microbial Diversity and Identification
� Analysis of microbial diversity in terrestrial ecosystem.
� Diversity in aquatic ecosystem.
� Diversity in fermented dairy products.
� Diagnostic kits for plant pathogens, soil microbes, fish microbes and animal microbes.
2. Nutrient Management, PGPR and Biocontrol
Objectives of Nutrient Management
· To characterize the isolated microorganisms for nutrient mobilization (N, P, K Micronutrients)
· To evaluate the establishment of strains, particularly in mixed cropping systems and select strains for multiple crops and geographical locations.
· To standardize methods for mass multiplication, improve the formulations, quality, shelf life of the above bio-agents with superior delivery systems.
· To carry out multi-location testing for evaluation of the promising formulations.
· To make multiple-repositories of isolated strains of microorganisms.
Objectives of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR)
· To isolate, characterize, evaluate and utilize rhizobacteria and their primary and secondary metabolites specific for growth promotion and pathogen suppression.
· To assess the ecological plasticity of strains particularly in mixed cropping systems and identification of strains for multiple crops and geographical locations.
· To study the rhizobacteria mediated induced systemic resistance in crop and adopting this for crop management.
· To study the mechanism of rhizobacteria induced growth promotion in crop plants.
· To develop bioconsortium of geographically, phenotypically and genotypically distinct rhizobacterial strains and standardize methods for mass multiplication and develop appropriate delivery systems.
To study the culturable microbial diversity of soils from different agro-ecological subregions, production systems and
Ø Unraveling microbial genomics for its utilization in agriculture and industry.
Ø To coordinate assemblage, conservation, quality control and validation of the microbial genomic resources to facilitate their optimal exploitation and utilization.
Ø To conduct and promote basic, strategic, applied and anticipatory research for development and management of microbial genomic resources.
Ø Human resource development in microbe conservation and utilization.
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Objectives of Biocontrol
· To isolate and characterize antagonistic organisms from diverse ago-climatic/cropping systems in India for pest and disease management.
· To screen potential isolates against major soil/ seed/air borne plant pathogens, nematodes and insect pests of important crops.
· To identify strains with broad host range or specific to a group of plant pathogens and insect pests and develop improved strains by molecular interventions.
· To study different biochemical and molecular mechanisms of promising antagonists against pathogens/pests.
· To develop formulations and various delivery systems, and their evaluation against target pests.
· To develop mass production technology for identified bioagents.
3. Agro waste Management, Bioremediation and Post harvest processing
Objectives of Agro waste Management
· Isolation, identification and characterization of microorganisms from various industry, urban and agrowastes.
· Development of microbial consortia for rapid degradation and effective utilization of selected waste.
· Production of value added products like biofuels, enzymes and mushroom using selected agro, urban and industrial wastes.
· To assess the impact of organic waste application with or in relation to soilin agriculture on shifts in soil microbial community structure and functions in relation to soil physiochemical properties.
Objectives of Bioremediation
· Develop an understanding of the structural and functional diversity analysis of microbial communities and their dynamics in response to normal environmental variation and novel anthropogenic stresses.
· Determine the biochemical mechanisms, including enzymatic pathways, involved in aerobic and anaerobic degradation of pollutants.
· Expand understanding of microbial genetics as a basis for enhancing the capabilities of microorganisms to degrade pollutants.
· Conduct microcosm/mesocosm studies of new bioremediation techniques in a cost-effective manner whether they are likely to work in the field, and establish dedicated sites where long-term field research on bioremediation technologies can be conducted.
· Develop, test and evaluate innovative biotechnologies such as biosensors for monitoring bioremediation in situ; models for the biological processes at work in bioremediation; reliable and uniform methods for assessing the efficacy of bioremediation technologies; establish a culture collection for bioremediation purposes.
Objectives of Microbes in Post Harvest & Processing
· Development of fermented products from fruits, vegetables and cereals.
· Value addition of pulses, millets and horticultural produces through microbial fermentation.
· Biopreservation of vegetables for extension of shelf life and control of spoilage in processed products.
· Assessment of microbial contamination and safety of agricultural produce.
4. Microbial Management of Abiotic Stress
Objectives
· Isolation of microorganisms from rhizotic zones of cereal crops (wheat and millets) grown under stress conditions of salt, drought and extreme temperatures.
· Selection of bacteria capable of growing under stress conditions of salt, drought and extreme temperatures.
· Evaluation of the selected organisms in the rhizosphere of wheat and millets (phytotron studies).
· Biochemical characterization of selected microorganisms.
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· Development of consortium of microorganisms that can alleviate the effect of drought, salinity and extreme temperature.
· Field evaluation of consortium of microorganisms for improvement of wheat, rice and millets under stress conditions.
5. Microbial Genomics
Sub-themes and objectives
1. Structural Genomics
· Complete genome sequencing of strain Ca181 with genome size of 8Mb.
2. Functional Genomics
· Isolation of genes and their alleles for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance from isolates of Anabaena spp., and Bacillus thuringiensis. Identification of genes in Pseudomonas for colonization of rice. Sequence determination of the isolated genes.
· Functional validation of selected alleles in microbes and model plants.
6. Microbial Genomic Resource Repository (MGRR)
Objectives:
· Collection of DNA materials from microorganisms and other relevant organisms which result from the various molecular genetics and genomics research programmes.
· Acquisition of gene constructs from various sources.
· Value addition to the genomic resources.
· Characterization, validation and conservation of microbial genomic resources.
· Production/multiplication and quality control for distribution.
· Exchange of the genomic resources under a material transfer agreement (MTA).
· Development of a user friendly web-based information system for microbial genomic resources.
· Human resource development
7. Human Resource Development
Objectives:
· To disseminate the knowledge of microorganisms for utilization in crop improvement to farmers and NGOs.
· To disseminate the knowledge on commercial application of agriculturally important microorganisms.
· To train the researchers on diagnostics techniques, identification long term preservation/storage of microbial cultures.
· To train Scientists/ Researchers about various techniques and field level transfer of technology in different areas of microbial technology.
Mesorhizobium ciceri
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A) Budget allocation for the year 2006-2007 in Xth Plan (in lakhs)thB) Budget allocation proposedfor the XI Plan (in lakhs)
Budget Allocation of AMAAS
Human Resource Development
Trainings Organized by NBAIM under AMAAS
1. Microbial diversity analysis of Extremophiles from th th26 to 30 November 2006.
Objectives:
· Characterization of isolated extremophiles from exotic zones, extreme environments, hot springs and dunes.
· Characterization of microorganisms with adequate functions
· Biochemical and Molecular characterization of the isolates.
2. Microbial community analysis through rd thMetagenomics from 3 – 7 February 2007.
Objectives:
· Different approaches to isolates quality DNA from soil
· Characterization of Soil Microbial Communities through analysis of total soil DNA
· Culture independent approaches- comparative analysis
· Bioinformatics tools for community analysis
· Characterization of novel genes using metagenomic PCR based molecular characterization of microbes.
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3. DNA Sequencing and Microbial Identification M o d u l e o f A g r i c u l t u r a l l y I m p o r t a n t Microorganisms. (17-09-2007 to 21-09-2007).
Objectives:
· PCR amplification of 16S rDNA from selected bacteria and actinomycetes; and 28S rDNA from fungi.
· Microbial identification based on gene sequencing.
· 16S rDNA-based microbial identification for bacteria and actinomycetes.
· 28S rDNA-based microbial identification for fungi and yeasts.
· Compilation of forward and reverse DNA sequencing into a consensus sequence.
· Sample comparisons by means of a phylogenetic tree and sample comparison to GenBank, an international DNA sequence database.
4. Molecular and serological detection of plant viruses th stfrom 24 February – 1 March 2008.
Objectives:· Molecular detection of some important plant viruses.· Serological detection of some important plant viruses.· Bioinformatics in characterization of important plant
viruses.
Output and Outcome of AMAAS
Theme 1: Microbial Diversity and Identification
Objective
l .
l Diversity in Aquatic ecosystem.
l Diversity in Dairy products.
Output
l Identification of useful novel AIMs for bioprospecting application in plant growth promotion, biodegradation, bioremediation, biocontrol enzyme production etc.
l Database of prospecting microorganisms.
l Mapping the extent of total genetic variability in major agriculture production eco-systems in India.
l Cataloging and assembling of prospecting AIMs at national repository with complete characterization and molecular
Diversity in Terrestrial ecosystem fingerprinting.
l Functional diversity of the AIMs in varied crop-soil combinations.
Outcome
l Strengthening of germplasm of unique and novel agriculturally important microorganisms.
l Development of suitable strategies for sustainable agriculture based on microbial map of country.
l Strengthening of Microbial identification and distribution of useful microbes in the country.
l Identification of exotic microbes for its utilization in agriculture and allied sectors.
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Theme2: Nutrient Management, Biocontrol and PGPR
Objective
l .
l Nutrient management in leguminous crops.
l Nutrient management in oilseed crops.
l Nutrient management in vegetable crops.
l Nutrient management in plantation crops.
Output
l Identif icat ion and character izat ion of useful microorganisms.
l Development of microbial consortia of nitrogen fixers, phosphorous solubilizers, sulphur oxidisers, and micronutrient mobilisers from diverse agro-ecologies for use as composite biofertilizer formulations.
l Improvement in quality of carrier based inoculants, improved delivery of inoculants to crops in the form of encapsulated immobilized cells/liquid cultures.
l Enrichment of germplasm/repositories with novel gene pools and novel consortia of nutrient mobilisers.
l Basic information pertaining to rhizobacteria and their application for increasing the agricultural productivity.
l Development of mass production technology and the product would lead to establishment of patents and commercialization of technology.
l Collection of several microbial antagonists from varied agro-eco systems.
l Identif ication of virulent isolates of several entomopathogenic fungi, antagonists to plant pathogen and Bt for use in IPM programmes against several major insect pests and diseases.
Outcome
l Enrichment of germplasm/repositories with novel gene pools and novel consortia of nutrient mobilisers.
l Improved soil health as a result of greater use of improved inoculants by farmers on a longer time basis.
l Increase in crop production with less input of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
l Microbial consortia developed for various crops grown under different agro-climatic regions of country.
l Cost effective and environmentally safe technology development.
l Commercialization of mass production technology for bioinoculants, PGPR and biocontrol agents.
l IPR benefits in both direct and indirect terms
Theme 3: Agrowaste management, Bioremediation and microbes in PHT
Objective
l Biodegradation of different agrowastes for production of compost
l Production of value added products.
Nutrient management in cereal crops
l
on soil quality in terms of soil microbial dynamics.
l Bioremediation of heavy metals.
l Bioremediation of xenobiotics.
l Bioremediation of sites contaminated with agro-wastes/industrial effluents and other contaminants.
l Development of fermented products from fruits and vegetables.
l Biopreservation of fruits for extension of shelf life and control of spoilage in processed products.
Output
l Collection of microorganisms for decomposition of different crop residues.
l Development of consortia of microorganisms for decomposition of crop residues in shortest possible time.
l Cataloging and assembling of all microorganisms with complete characterization and molecular fingerprinting.
l An improved carbon status of soil hence nutrient use efficiency would improve, particularly of chemical inputs.
l Development of mass production technology and the product would lead to establishment of patents and commercialization of technology.
l Development of relationship between short term changes in soil microbial dynamics and other soil physical, chemical and environmental parameters due to application of industrial wastes, for predicting long-term changes in soil sustainable productivity.
l Providing an eco-friendly and economically viable solutions for disposal of toxic residues of concern.
l Identification of novel genes and enzymes as well as isolation of new cultivable microorganisms capable of degrading persistent and toxic xenobiotic residues and contaminant of heavy metals.
l Development of patentable technologies for decontamination of the environment laced with toxic residues.
l Fermentation of vegetables and fruits improve the bioavailability of essential amino acids and the B- complex vitamins viz. thiamine, riboflavin and niacin in cereals.
Outcome
l Development of mass production technology and the product would lead to establishment of patents and commercialization of technology.
l Community structure of microbes deciphered.
l Utilization of agricultural waste for commercial products.
l Number of technologies developed for bioremediation of toxic wastes, chemicals and heavy metals.
l Generation of technology to project healthier soil/water/environment quality and sustainable agricultural productivity.
l Make available a large quantity of food by avoiding losses, provide better quality and nutrition, more raw materials for
Assessing long term impact of organic effluent amendment
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processing, generating more employment opportunities, enhance value addition, increase foreign exchange earning and ensure better returns to the consumers
l Many of the new technologies that could be generated through these sub projects could be useful in agro industries.
Theme 4: Microbial Management of Abiotic Stress
Objective
l Microbial management of salinity, drought and extreme temperatures.
Output
l Improvements in yields and yield attributes of cereal crops under stressed conditions.
Outcome
l Strengthening of microbial germplasm tolerant to abiotic stresses.
l Optimum utilization of land resources for cultivation of cereal crops.
l Development of transgenic crop plants tolerant to abiotic stress.
Theme 5: Microbial Genomics
Objective
l Complete genome sequencing of Mesorhizobium ciceri strain Ca181 with genome size of 8Mb.
Output
l
for tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress
Outcome
l Complete sequence of the genome will be deciphered for identification of new and novel genes.
l Isolation of genes and their alleles for abiotic and biotic stress tolerance from isolates of Anabeana spp., Pseudomonas
l Sequence determination of the isolated genes.
l Functional validation of selected alleles in microbes and model plants.
l Development of superior strain of Mesorhizobium for improvement in yield of chickpea.
l Capacity building in the area of complete genome sequencing.
Theme 6: Human Resource Development
Objective
l Conduct training programs in the area of microbial diversity, molecular characterization of microbes, metagenomics and DNA sequencing.
Output
l Trained manpower in the frontier areas of microbiology and molecular biology.
Outcome
l Capacity building in the area of microbiology and molecular biology for improvement in research.
Allele mining from microorganisms for genes responsible
Theme I: Microbial Diversity and Identification
Mapping, Assessment of the Geographical Distribution and in v i tro Conservat ion of Agricul tura l ly Important Microorganisms of the Western Ghats of India
PI : A. R. Alagawadi
Co PIs : P.U. Krishnaraj, K.S. Jagadeesh & R. Vasudeva; Department of Agril. Microbiology, UAS, Dharwad
Diversity Analysis of Microbes in Extreme Conditions; Development of Diagnostic Kit for the Identification of Bacillus and fluorescent Pseudomonas; Development of Diagnostic Kits for Fungal Pathogens Macrophomina phaseolina and Fusarium; Diversity of Actinomycetes from Indogangetic Plains
P.I. : D. K. Arora
Co PIs : A. K. Saxena, Rajeev Kaushik, Alok K Srivastava, Sudheer Kumar, Mahesh Yandigiri; National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, (U.P.)
Diversity of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms in the Western Ghats of Kerala
PI : D. Girija, Center for Plant Biotechnology & Molecular Biology
CoPI : Sally K. Mathew, S. Surendragopal; Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala
Agriculturally Important Microorganisms from Soils of Rice-based Cropping System from Agro-ecological Zones of East Coast of India
PI : T. K. Adhya
Co-PI : T. K. Dangar; Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack , Orissa
Microbial Diversity Analysis from Different Brackishwater System of East Coast of India
PI : T. C. Santiago
Co-PIs : Kalaimani N, Shankar V. Alavandi; Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture (ICAR), Chennai
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Isolation of Microorganisms from Fermented Dairy Foods and Sequencing of 16S rDNA for Strain Identification
PI : Dinesh Kumar
Co-PIs : B. K. Joshi National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resource, Karnal; Co-PI: Rameshwar Singh; S. K. Tomar; National Dairy research Institute, Karnal
Strengthening, Authentication and Exploitation of Mushroom Biodiversity at the National Mushroom Repository for Human Welfare
PI : R. C. Upadhyay; National Research Center for Mushroom, Solan, H.P.
Exploring the Microbial Diversity in Western Plains and Kachchh Eco-region of Gujarat for Agricultural and Industrial Applications
PI : K. K. Pal
Co-PI : Rinku Dey; National Research Centre for Groundnut (ICAR), Junagadh, Gujarat
Mapping of Microbial Diversity in the Marine Ecosystem in and Around Mumbai
PI : C. S. Purushothaman
Co-PIs : P. K. Pandey, A. Vennila; Aquatic Environmental Management Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai
Isolation and Characterization of Flavobacterium species from Fish and Aquatic Environment
PI : Gaurav Rathore; National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow, U.P.
Bacterial Diversity Analysis from Different District/ Ecological Zones of Madhya Pradesh
PI : Kiran Singh; Department of Microbiology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal – 462026
Exploration and Screening of Rainfed Ecosystem Microbial Diversity
PI : P. K. Sharma
Co-PI : R. Gera; Department of Microbiology, CCS HAU, Hisar, Haryana
Exploration and Screening of Microbial Diversity of Bihar and their Potential Application
PI : V. K. Shahi
Co-PIs : Daya Ram; R. K. Pandey; Subodh Kumar Sinha; R.A.U., Pusa, Samatipur, Bihar
Exploration and Screening of Bacterial Diversity in North-East India and Its Potential Application in Biocontrol
PI : Ratul Saikia
Co-PI : T. C. Bora; Biotechnology Division, North East Institute of Science & Technology (CSIR), Jorhat, Assam
Collection, Identification and Characterization of Microbial Diversity of North Bengal
PI : B. N. Chakraborty
Co-PIs : U. Chakraborty, A. Saha; Immuno-Phytopathology
Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of North Bengal, North Bengal
Biodiversity, Characterization & Conservation of Cyanobacteria of Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspots (NE Zone of India) for Harnessing of Value Added Products
PI : O. N. Tiwari
Co-PI : Sunil Thorat; Institute of Bioresources & Sustainable Development, Imphal, Manipur
Assessment of Molecular Diversity and Exploitation of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria for Sustainable Agriculture
PI : Ashok Kumar, School of Biotechnology
Co-PIs : M. B. Tyagi, R. P. Sinha, CAS in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Exploration of Plant Pathogenic and Antagonistic Microbial Resources Associated with Vegetable and Spice Crops of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
PI : V. Jayakumar
Co-PI : Kishan Kumar; Central Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair, Andamans
Microbial Diversity and Identification of Western Ghats: Collection, Mapping, Assessment of the Geographical Distribution and in vitro Conservation of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms of the Western Ghats
PI : D. Radhakrishna
Co PI : B. C. Mallesha; Department of Agricultural Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore
Isolation and Characterization of Microorganism from Freshwater Ecosystem
PI : N. K. Maiti
Co-PI : Sriprakash Mohanty; Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (ICAR), Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
Collection, Identification and Characterization of Microbial Diversity of Punjab
PI : S. K. Gosal, Dept. of Microbiology
Co-PIs : M. Gangwar, Dept. of Microbiology; G. S. Saroa, Dept. of Soils , Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Identification and Diversity of Lactobacillus spp. from Fermented Dairy Foods
PI : S. De
Co-PI : Rameshwar Singh; Animal Biotechnology Center, NDRI, Karnal, Haryana
Exploration and Screening of Fish Microbial Diversity
PI : Imelda Joseph; Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Ernakulam, Kochi, Kerala
Conservation of Beneficial Fungi of Himalayan Ecosystem of Jammu Province
PI : P. K. Raina; Division of Plant Pathology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir
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Theme II: Nutrient Management, PGPR and Biocontrol
Improving Yields and Nutrient Uptake of Selected Crops through Microbial Inoculants in Vertisols of Central India
PI : D. L. N. Rao
Co-PI : S. S. Manna; Indian Institute of Soil Science, Nabi Bagh, Bhopal, M.P.
Exploration, Collection and Characterization of some Agriculturally Important Biocontrol Agents Suitable for Disease Management
PI : D. K. Arora
Co-PI : Alok K. Srivastava; Sudheer Kumar; National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, UP.
Application of AIMS for Nutrient Management and Plant Growth Promotion in Rainfed Agro Ecosystem
P : B. Venkateswarlu
Co-PI : S. Desai; Division of Crop Sciences, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad
Development of a Cold Tolerant Phosphate Solubilizing Bacterial (PSB) Inoculant
PI : G. Selvakumar
Co-PI : Pankaj Mishra; Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan (ICAR), Almora, Uttarakhand
Isolation, Identification, Evaluation and Exploitation of PGPR for Spices
PI : M. Anandraj
Co-PIs : R. Dinesh, N.K. Leela, A. Kumar; Indian Institute of Spice research, Calicut, Kerala
Development and Application of PGPR Formulations for Growth Improvement and Disease Suppression in Coconut and Cocoa
PI : G. V. Thomas
Co-PIs : Murali Gopal, Alka Gupta, M. Gunasekaran; Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kudlu P.O., Kasaragod, Kerala
Microbial Control of Insect Pests-II
PI : B. Ramanujam
Co-PI : S. Sriram; Project Directorate of Biological Control, Bangalore
Developing PGPR Consortia for Enhanced Crop and Soil Productivity of Rice-Wheat Cropping System
PI : Lata
Co-PI : Radha Prasanna; Division of Microbiology, IARI, New Delhi
Structural and Functional Dynamics of the Microbial Isolates in Biogeochemical Cycling of C, N, P and S in Rice Ecosystem
PI : T. K. Adhya
Co-PI : V. R. Rao; Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Orissa
Promoting Zinc Nutrition in Maize using Mycorrhizal Symbiosis
PI : K. S. Subramanian, Dept of Soil Science & Agriculture Chemistry;
Co-PI : M. Thangaraju, Department of Microbiology; Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
Harnessing Agricultural Beneficial Microorganisms for Production and Protection of Sorghum and Rice
PI : O. P. Rupela; International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh
Isolation, Identification, Evaluation and Exploitation of Microorganisms for Management of Important Pathogen and having PGPR Potential for Vegetable Crops
PI : T. K. Bag
Co PI : A. B. Rai; Indiant Institute of Vegetable research, Varanasi, UP
Application of PGPRs, Biofertilizers and Biocontrol Agents for Disease Managemnt and Sustainable Production of Tuber Crops
PI : R.S. Misra
Co-PIs : Susan John K; M. L. Jeeva Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram
Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) for Chickpea and Pigeonpea
PI : K. Swarnalakshmi
Co-PIs : Mohan Singh, R.G.Chaudhary; Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur
Development of Suitable Formulations of Potential Bioagents for Management of Important Diseases of Sunflower, Safflower and Castor
PI : R. D. Prasad
Co-PIs : M. A. Raoof, M. Santha Lakshmi Prasad, P. S. Vimala Devi; Directorate of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad
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Theme III: Microbial Management of Agrowaste, Bioremediation,
Microbes in Post Harvest and Processing
Assessing Spatial and Temporal Shift in Soil Microbial Communities of Paper Mill Effluent Contaminated Soils and Effective Utilization of Microflora of these Sites for Crop Growth Promotion and Reclamation Effluent Contaminated Soils
PI : Rajeev Kaushik
Co-PI : A. K. Saxena; National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau
Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) through Microbial Consortia
PI : Lata, Division of Microbiology
Co-PIs : Anju Arora, CCUBGA; Shashi Bala Singh, Division of Agril Chemicals, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
Genotyping and Isolation of Sphingomonads from HCH Contaminated Agricultural Soils and their Application in Bioremediation
PI : Rup Lal; Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi
Refinement in Indoor Compost Technology for White Button Mushroom using Thermophilic Organisms
PI : B. Vijay
Co-PIs : R. P. Tewari, M. P. Sagar; National Research Center on Mushrooms, Solan, HP
Optimization of Parameters for Utilization of Paddy Straw, Kinnow Pulp and Pea Pods for Production of Cellulases, Ethanol and Feed Supplements
PI : Harinder Singh Oberoi
Co-PIs : D. S. Uppal, V. K. Bhargava; Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Ludhiana
Bioremediation of Commonly used Pesticides in Tropical Rice
Ecosystem
PI : T. K. Adhya; Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Orissa
Development of Bacterial Consortia for Bio-Processing Agricultural Wastes and Bioremediation of Aquaculture Effluents
PI : C. S. Purushothaman
Co-PI : A. Vennila, P. K. Pandey; Aquatic Environmental Management Division, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai
Microbial Bioremediation of Wastewater for Heavy metals
PI : P. K. Joshi;
Co-PI : Khajanchi Lal; Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Zarifa farm, Karnal-132001
Bioremediation of Effluents from Shrimp Farms
PI : S. V. Alavandi
Co-PIs : T. C. Santiago, N. Kalaimani; Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai
Microbial and Shelf Life Studies During Canning of Vegetables
PI : Sudhir Singh
Co PI : Mathura Rai; Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi
Fermented Products from Fruits, Vegetables and Cereals
PI : S. Gunasekaran
Co-PI : R. Murugesan; K. Vijila; S. Karthikeyan ; Department of Agricultural Microbiology, TNAU, Coimbatore
Utilization of Mango Processing Waste for Obtaining Value Added Products through Fermentation
PI : Neelima Garg; Division of Post-harvest Management, Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture, Lucknow
Theme IV: Microbial Management of Abiotic Stress
Development of Microbial Consortium for Alleviation of Salt Stress for Growth and Yield of Wheat
PI : A. K. Saxena
Co-PI : Rajeev Kaushik; National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, (U.P.)
Isolation, Inventorization and Field Assessment of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms in the Stress Ecosystems of Karnataka
PI : A. R. Alagawadi
Co-PIs : P. U. Krishnaraj, K.S. Jagadeesh, S. G. Patil; Department of Agril. Microbiology, UAS, Dharwad
Development of Microorganism Consortium to Alleviate Abiotic Stresses like Drought, High Temperature and Salinity in Millets
PI : B. Venkateswarlu
Co-PI : S. K. Yadav; Division of Crop Sciences, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabadc
Development of a Bacterial Consortium to Alleviate Cold Stress
PI : Pankaj Kumar Mishra
Co-PI : G. Selvakumar; Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi
12
Theme V: Microbial Genomics
Structural Genomics of Mesorhizobium ciceri Ca 181
PI : N. K. Singh
Co-PIs : Aqbal Singh, Saravjeet Kaur, J. C. Padaria, Kanika, Rithu Rai; National Research Center on Plant Biotechnology, IARI, New Delhi
Structural Genomics of Mesorhizobium ciceri Ca 181
PI : Major Singh; Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi
Genome Analysis of the Nitrogen Fixing Symbiotic Bacterium Mesorizobium ciceri
PI : K. V. Bhatt
Co-PIs : A. B. Gaikwad, Mukesh kuar Rana, Rakes Singh, Sunil Archak; NRC DNA Fingerprinting, NBPGR, New Delhi
Structural Genomics of Mesorhizobium ciceri Ca 181)
PI : A. K. Saxena
Co-PIs : D. K. Arora; Rajeev Kaushik; National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms, Mau, (U.P.)
Human Resource Development
PI : D. K. Arora, NBAIM, Mau
Functional Genomic Analysis of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) Fluorescent Pseudomonads
PI : P. Gunasekaran
Co-PI : K. Manoharan; School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai
Mining for Genes Involved in Production of Fungicidal Compounds in Anabaena Strains
PI : Radha Prasanna
Co-PI : N. K. Singh; Division of Microbiology, IARI, New Delhi
Genomic Studies of Uncultivated N2-fixing Communities from Uttarakhand
PI : Reeta Goel; Department of Microbiology, GBPUAT, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
Theme VI : Human Resource Development
thComparison between number of centers, projects, PI's, SRF's and RA's in AMAAS at the end of X Plan
13
Publications from AMAAS Project
Theme: Microbial Diversity and Identification
1. Babu, B.K., Saxena, A.K., Srivastava, A.K. and Arora, D.K. 2007. Identification and detection of Macrophomina phaseolina by using species-specific oligonucleotide primers and probe. Mycologia 99: 797-803.
2. Jyotsana, Srivastava, A., Singh R.P., Srivastava, A.K., Saxena, A.K. and Arora, D.K. 2008. Growth promotion and charcoal rot management in chickpea by Trichoderma harzianum. J Plant Prot. Res. 48: 81-92
3. Srivastava, A. K., Ara, A. Bhargava, P., Mishra, Y., Rai, S. P., Rai, L. C. 2007. A rapid and cost-effective method of genomic DNA isolation from cyanobacterial culture, mat and soil suitable for genomic fingerprinting and community analysis. J. Appl. Phycol. 19: 373-82.
4. B. N. Chakraborty, U. Chakraborty, A. Saha, P. L. Dey and K. Sunar. 2008. Screening of phosphorus solubilizing fungal isolates from soils of agricultural fields, forests and river basins of North Bengal and their application for improvement of plant growth. J. Mycol Plant Pathology, 38 (3). (In Press).
5. B. N. Chakraborty and K. Sunar. 2008. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Association in Rhizosphere of Hevea brasiliensis. J. Mycol Plant Pathology, 38 (3). (In Press).
6. B. N. Chakraborty, U. Chakraborty, A. Saha, K. Sunar and P. L. Dey. Search for phosphate solubilizing fungi from forest soil of North Bengal and analysis of their diversity. J
ndMycol Pl Pathol, Vol 37, No.3, 2007. Paper presented at 2 Asian Congress of Mycology and Plant Pathology, Department of Botany, Osmania University, Hydrabad. December 19-22, 2007.
7. N. K. Maiti, Arunika Mondal, S. Mohanty, M. Samanta. 2008. Comparative analysis of genome of Edwardsiella tarda by BOX-PCR and PCR-ribotyping. Aquaculture (accepted).
8. N. K. Maiti, Arunika Mandal, S. Mohanty, R. N. Mandal. 2008. Phenotypic and gentic characterization of Edwardsiella tarda isolated from pond sediments. J.Comp. Immunol. Microbiol. Infect. Dis (In press).
9. D. L. N. Rao. 2007. Microbial Diversity, Soil Health and Sustainability. J. Indian. Soc. Soil Science 55: 392-403.
10. G. Selvakumar, M. Mohan, S. Kundu, A. D.Gupta, Piyush Joshi, Sehar Nazim, and H. S.Gupta.2007.Cold tolerance and plant growth promotion potential of Serratia marcescens strain SRM (MTCC 8708) isolated from flowers of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo). Letters in Applied Microbiology 46:171-175.
11. G. Selvakumar, S. Kundu, Piyush Joshi, Sehar Nazim,
Anand D. Gupta, P. K. Mishra & H. S. Gupta (2007). Characterization of a cold tolerant plant growth promoting Pantoea dispersa 1A isolated from a sub alpine soils in North Western Indian Himalayas. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 24: 955-960
12. Ali Derakhshan , R. J. Rabindra and B. Ramanujam. 2008. Effect of Storage Conditions of Formulations on Viability of Verticillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Viegas and its Virulence to Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) Journal of Biological Sciences, 8(2):495-501.
13. Ali Derakhshan, R. J. Rabindra, B. Ramanujam and Mehdi Rahimi. 2008. Evaluation of Different Media and Methods of Cultivation on the Production and Viability of Entomopathogenic Fungus, Verticillium lecanii (Zimm.) Viegas. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 11(11):1506-1509.
14. Ali Derakshan S. H., R. J. Rabindra and B. Ramanujam. 2007. Effect of entomopathogenic fungi on Brevicoryne brassicae at different temperatures and humidities. Journal of Biological Control. 21 (1):65-72.
15. Nagesh, M., Hussaini, S. S., Ramanujam, B. and Rangeswaran, R. 2007. Molecular identification, characterization, variability and infectivity of Indian isolates of nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia. Nematologia Mediterranea. 35 (1): 47-56.
16. Nagesh, M., Hussaini, S. S., Ramanujam, B. and Chidandaswamy, B.S.2006. Management of Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum lycoprsicae wilt complex using antagonistic fungi in tomato Nematologia Mediterranea. 34: 63-68.
17. Nirmala, R., B. Ramanujam, R.J.Rabindra and N. S. Rao. 2006. Effect of entomofungal pathogens on the mortality of three aphid species. Journal of Biological Control. 20 (1): 89-94
18. Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Rekha Kumari, Om Prakash and Rup Lal. 2008. Pseudomonas panipatensis Esp-1Tsp. nov., From oil contaminated site of Panipat Oil Refinery, Panipat, India. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
19. Mukesh Kumar, Mansi Verma and Rup Lal. 2008. Devosia c h i n h a t e n s i s s p . n o v . , i s o l a t e d f r o m Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) dump site in India. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
20. Simran Jit, Mandeep Dadhwal, Om Prakash and Rup Lal. 2008. Flavobacterium lindanitolerans sp. nov., isolated from hexachlorocyclohexane contaminated soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
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21. Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Devi Lal and Rup Lal. 2008. Novosphingobium panipatensis and Novosphingobium mathurensis, isolated from oil-contaminated soil. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
22. Ajaib Singh and Rup Lal. 2008. Sphingobium umerensis sp. nov. a novel hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) degrading bacterium isolated from HCH-dump site. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
23. Mansi Verma, Mukesh Kumar, Mandeep Dadhwal, Jaspreet Kaur and Rup Lal. 2008. Devosia albogilva sp. nov. and Devosia crocina sp. nov., isolated from HCH dump site in India. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol (in press).
24. Mandeep Dadhwal, Ajaib Singh, Om Prakash, Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Kirti Kumari, Pooja Sharma, Simran Jit, Mansi Verma, Christof Holliger and Rup Lal. 2008. Proposal of biostimulation for HCH-decontamination and characterization of culturable bacterial community from high dose point HCH-contaminated soils. Journal. Appl. Microbiol. (in press).
25. G. Selvakumar, S. Kundu, Piyush Joshi, Sehar Nazim, Anand D. Gupta, P. K. Mishra & H. S. Gupta. 2007. Characterization of a cold tolerant plant growth promoting Pantoea dispersa 1A isolated from a sub alpine soils in North Western Indian Himalayas. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology. 24: 955-960.
Microbial Genomics
1. Rani, A., Souche.S, Y. and Goel, R. 2008. Comparative assessment of in situ bioremediation potential of cadmium
resistant acidophilic Pseudomonas putida 62BN and alkalophilic Pseudomonas monteilli 97AN strains on soybean . In t e rna t iona l B iode ter iora t ion & Biodegradation. Doi: 10.1016/ j.biod.2008.07.002.
2. Khan M., S. K. Singh and Goel R. 2008. Metagenomics and Novel Bioagents. Agriculturally important micro-organisms: application and technology. (In press).
3. Satlewal A, Goel R., and Garg, G. K. 2008. Industrially Useful Microbial Bioresources from Uttarakhand. In: D. K. Maheshwari, R. C. Dubey eds. Biotechnology of Industrial Microorganisms-A Techno-Commercial Approach. I. K. International Publication Ltd. New Delhi (In Press).
4. Satlewal, A. and Goel R. 2008. Bioprospecting of Uttarakhand Microflora for Environmental Sustenance. In: A Sahoo ed. Conventional and Biotechnological Approaches for Sustainable Development in Sub-Himalayan Region. (In Press).
5. Prema Latha, K. & Goel R. 2008. Psychrophiles: Life in cold environment. In: D. K. Maheshwari, R. C. Dubey. I. K. International Publication Ltd. New Delhi. (In Press).
Manuals
1. DNA Sequencing and microbial identification module of agriculturally Important Microorganisms.
2. Microbial Identification module of some agriculturally Important Microorgansims.
3. Molecular and serological detection of plant viruses.
15
Significant Achievements
l
actinomycetes, 348 fungi and 261 mushrooms were isolated from different agro-ecological regions of India.
l Among the bacteria different functional groups like diazotrophs, Phosphate solubilizing, Lignin degraders, Cellulose degraders, IAA producers, GA producers, Biocontrol agents and plant pathogens were isolated.
l The fungal isolates include phosphate solubilizing, plant pathogenic, biocontrol agents and Entomopathogens.
l Cyanobacterial diversity revealed the existence of potent diazotrophs and a good source of carotenoids and phycobiliprotein producers. Spirullina isolates rich in protein were also isolated.
l Two value added cyanobacterial products namely, Spiro papad and Spirogel have been prepared and launched in markets and are in high demand in local community of Imphal.
l Some of the rare bacterial species identified were Chromobacterium violaceumm, Exiguobacterium sp., Arthrobacter sp. Bacillus fumarioli, Pseudomonas chlororaphis, Microbacterium, Pantoea, Cronobacter, Brevibacillus laterosporus, Serratia marsecens and Beijerinkia.
l Some of the fungal species isolated and identified were Penicillium glabrum, Trichoderma viridae, T. harzianum, T. hamatum, T. pseudokoningii, T. koningii , Bipolaris sorokiniana, Colletotrichum gleosporiodies,Colletotrichum spp, Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium sp, Aspergillus niger, A.melleus, A.clavatus,Acremonium fusidioides, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium equiset, Fomes lamaoensis, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Drechslera sp, Cochliobolus lunatus and Sphaerostilbe repens.
l A total of 75 rDNA sequences were submitted to NCBI GenBank.
l One of the biocontrol potential bacteria from Garam Pani (a natural hot spring) of Golaghat District, Assam was identified as Brevibacillus laterosporus (BPM3).
l A bacterial isolate was identified as Pseudomonas chlororaphis which is a known biocontrol agent.
l In a study on the interaction of 42 isolates of B. thuringiensis and 32 entomopathogenic fungi, one isolate of B. thuringiensis was inhibitory against Metarhizium anisopliae and another was inhibitory to Verticillum sp.
l A novel Bacillus sp. with insecticidal property was identified using partial sequencing of 16s rDNA. The bacteria belonged to B. fumarioli cluster with swollen sporangia.
l In total 573 wild mushroom specimens were collected from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan and off them 434 were identified upto the genus level. Tissue cultures
A total of 4810 bacteria, 124 cyanobacteria, 310 from 191 specimens were raised and conserved in the Gene Bank of NRCM, Solan. Two new Lignicolous volvariella spp., a new species of Flammulina, were isolated and identified using 5.8S rDNA sequencing.
l From different geographic environments of brackish water eco-system, intertidal zones of Mumbai, freshwater ecosystems of Orissa 370 bacteria, 66 actinomycetes, 55 fungi 21 yeast isolates and 7Archae bacterium has been isolated.
l These microbes possessed various beneficial traits such as agarolytic activity, nucleases, protease, lipase, chitinase, ligninase and cellulase activity, sulfur oxidation, denitrification, salt resistance (2.5-30%), pigment production etc.
l Two sets of new ISR based primers have been developed for rapid and sensitive screening of Flavobacterium species from aquatic environment.
l Study was undertaken to evaluate the non-starter Lactobacillus species diversity, of Churpi cheese of Indian Yak covering areas of Arunachal Pradesh. A total of 40 non starter Lactobacillus isolates were obtained. The obtained sequences of each typical species of Lactobacillus from Indian Yak cheese (Churpi) are deposited in NCBI (GenBank). Thirty three (30) accession numbers were obtained from NCBI (GenBank accession EU637371-EU637403).
l Analysis of diversity from different extreme environments hot springs, cold deserts, acidic soils and salt lakes has led to the isolation of unique microorganisms that are tolerant to
0high temperature (90 C), high salt concentration (25% NaCl), low pH (pH 3.0).
l The sequencing of 16S rRNA gene helped in the identification of bacteria isolated from thermal springs. These thermal springs are known to have healing properties but the microorganisms isolated from these springs were all opportunist human pathogens and are Gram –ve.
l Bacteria able to grow and produce industrially important oenzymes at temperature ranging from 55-90 C have been
isolated and identified by 16S rDNA sequencing.
l A simple diagnostic approach for identification of Bacillus sp. per se and to classify them into different species was developed and involves: PCR amplification of 16S rDNA; development of ARDRA with AluI, look for the presence of 265 bp band to identify genus Bacillus, to carry out nested PCR using primer pair 265F1 and 265R1, sequencing of 265 bp fragment to predict species. This technique will help in the rapid and accurate identification of the Bacillus species and is economically cheap, as it does not require the sequencing of complete 16S rRNA gene.
l Employing the sequence data of rDNA genes alongwith other functional genes and housekeeping genes could
16
unravel the phylogenetic position of different species and forma specialies of this otherwise large group of fungi belonging to genus Fusarium. The sequence data on fungal DNA topoisomerase showed variations among the species and could be used to develop species-specific probes. At present we are in process of developing species-specific primers for Fusarium udum and other species of Fusarium oxysporum complex.
l Potential PGPR's viz Rhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, Bacillus, Fluorecsent Pseudomonas and Anabaena, were screened at green house level for different crops such as Rice, Wheat, Sorghum, Soybean, Chickpea, Pigeon pea, Black Pepper, ginger, coconut and cocoa.
l Cold tolerant strains of Pseudomonas fragi and oPseudomonas lurida showing P solubilizing ability at 4 C is
reported for the first time.
l Bacterial and fungal isolates having ability to control disease caused by Phytophthora, Pythium, Fusarium, Thielaviopsis paradoxa, Ganoderma sp, Macrophomina phaseolina Sclerotium rolfsii in black pepper, ginger, cocnut, cocoa , sorghum, tomato, brinjal, chilli and oil seed crops were screened
l Promising isolates of entomogenous fungi have been identified against sucking pests like, Aphis craccivora, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Bemisia tabaci and Myzus persicae based on laboratory bioassay studies.
l It was observed that mycorrhizal symbiosis alleviates Zn deficiency in crops by improving the biochemical changes in the soil and the host plant and the responses were more pronounced when the host plants fertilized optimally.
l Drastic changes in functional and structural diversity of soil microbial community structure was observed due to long term application of pulp and paper mill effluent onto the agricultural lands.
l A novel species of Sterptomyces with unique and uncommon growth and pigmentation pattern was isolated having tremendous potential in reclaming contaminated soils.
l Serratia marcescens is reported for the first time to reclaim soils contaminated with Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons.
l Potential HCH degrading sphingomonad and non-sphingomonads strains have been isolated which can effectively reclaim the soils contaminated with HCH.
l An economically viable and rapid method for compost production has been developed for Mushroom production using fungi S. thermophilum
l Isolates capable of producing alcohol from Kinnoo waste and paddy straw have been screened at laboratory scale fermentor.
l Two novel p-nitrophenol degrading Bacillus sp. and one o-nitrophenol degrading Bacillus sp. were isolated from flooded rice soils retreated with respective isomers of nitrophenol. A bacterial isolate from flooded alluvial soil
planted to rice and retreated with chlorpyrifos degraded 10 µg.ml-1 chlorpyrifos in mineral salts medium within 9 days.
l Consortia has been developed for Bio-Processing Agricultural Wastes and Bioremediation of Aquaculture Effluents
l The chemolithotrophic ammonia, nitrite and sulfur oxidizing bacteria isolated from Shrimp farms can be used as inocula for starting biofilters/bioreactors for ammonia removal from aquaculture wastes.
l Acetic acid steeping and brine solution treatment for 1-6 days significantly reduced the microbial count in onion bulb and paste for canning.
l Enzyme fructosyl oligosaccharide transferase enzyme was purified from fungal and bacterial isolates exhibiting pectinolytic activity.
l Nine isolates tolerant to salt and could exhibit growth promoting attributes like production of IAA and solubilization of phosphorus at 6% salt concentration were evaluated in the field. Inoculation with microorganisms can help to reduce the effect of salt stress and stimulate the growth and yield of wheat.
l From millet growing regions of 11 states, 129 strains of AIMS were isolated and characterized. Promising isolates of drought and high temperature stress (beyond 25% PEG and 50oC) were identified.
l Seed bacterization with stress tolerant strains of Pseudomonas helped sorghum and pearl millet seedlings to
osurvive at 50 C up to 21 days. Seed inoculation also induced synthesis of a novel high molecular weight protein.
l Twelve elite cold tolerant isolates having multiple PGP activities at 4 and 15 ºC have been selected from a collection of 447 cold tolerant bacterial isolates. Eight elite isolates were identified based on their 16S rRNA sequences viz., Pseudomonas sp strain PPERs23, Pseudomonas sp strain PGERs17, Pseudomonas sp strainPCRs4, Pseudomonas sp strain NARs9, Pseudomonas putida PGRs4, Pseudomonas sp strain NARs1, Pseudomonas lurida NPRp15 and Pseudomonas putida PBRs5.
l Phylogenetic relatedness among nif H community of Pantnagar, Badrinath, Almora and Chamoli soils is calculated based on their RFLP pattern and it was observed that Pantnagar and Badrinath community is closer unlikely to Chamoli and Almora region.
l Useful sets of degenerate oligonucleotides were identified towards the partial/complete sequences of cyanotoxins, fungicidal compounds and hydrolytic enzymes of Anabaena. From the set of 35 Anabaena strains, cloned reaction products of two strains - RP8 and RP9 were sequenced and BLAST-N and Clustal W analyses revealed significant similarities with chi IS gene in Streptomyces sp.
l Genomic DNA library of Mesorhizobium ciceri was prepared in pUC 19. A total of 2000 clones were sequenced and Blast searched. Several genes have been identified that can be further used in different studies.