Biochemical and enzymatic trait-based characterization of forest-derived Bacillus isolates from Uttara Kannada

Forests are well known for their regenerative habitats rich in organic matter and microbial diversity Fungi, bacteria and archaea inhabiting various forests are known to possess soil regenerative traits like carbon sequestration. Bacillus spp. tend to survive longer in soil and stimulate plant growth more effectively than other plant growth-promoting bacteria. They function as biostimulants by producing phytohormones that support plant growth and development and also contain ACC deaminase genes that improve growth and drought tolerance in the treated plants. The use of beneficial microorganisms as biofertilizers is increasing in agriculture and also helps to replace or reduce chemical based fertilizers as well as pesticides usage. Therefore, in the present study, Bacillus spp. were isolated and characterized from the soil samples of naturally regenerative ecosystems like forests in order to identify Bacillus isolates which are well known as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria.