Bioremediation of distillery effluent by a consortium of microbial isolates.

Microbial consortium was made for the bioremediation of distillery effluent. Consortium was made with a combination of three isolates of white rot fungus (WRF) and Pseudomonas sp and Aspergillus sp., which locally isolated from distillery effluent. Among WRF, Isolate--WR 3 produced maximum ligninolytic enzymes along with a combination of other fungal isolates. WR-3 produced maximum decolourization zone (32.0 mm) inoculated with Brillant blue dye plates within 15 days of incubation as compared with other WRF Isolates. It showed a highest lignolytic enzyme activity on 14th day in still flasks studies as compared to other WRF Isolates. The consortium of all the isolates including WRF 3 showed significantly better variations in reducing colour (85.4.%), dissolved sulphites (98.8%), sulphates (54.5%), COD (57.5%) and BOD (55.2%) respectively on 15 days of incubation compared to other isolates when used alone.

Isolation of Serratia marcescens SR1 as a Source of Chitinase Having Potentiality of Using as a Biocontrol Agent.

Serratia marcescens, strain SR(1) was isolated from the local soil of a cultivated farm and it was screened as potent strain for chitinase production. Maximum chitinase production (77.3 u Mh(-1) 100(-1)) was observed after 96 h of incubation period with pH 5.5 at 30°C under shake conditions (120 rpm). Compare to still flasks, shake culture with prawn fish colloidal chitin of 0.5% (w/v) concentration, showed a better enzyme yield. Crude enzyme showed antifungal activity against plant pathogens.

Effect of 'Azotobacter' Bioinoculant on the Growth and Substrate Utilization Potential of Pleurotus eous Seed Spawn.

We investigated the effect of nitrogen fixing Azotobacter bioinoculant on the mycelial growth and the rate of substrate utilization by Pleurotus eous. The synergistic or antagonistic role of the microorganism during dual culturing with the mushroom or the competitor molds Trichoderma viride, and Trichoderma reesi was studied. Azotobacter was inhibitory to the molds, which are competitive to the mushroom in the seed spawn substrate, but was synergistic towards the mushroom. The growth, substrate utilization potential as total nitrogen content and cellulase enzyme activities of the mushroom in the seed spawn substrate were also enhanced in the presence of the bioinoculant at lower inoculum concentrations, upto 5 ml broth culture per spawn bottle.