Enumeration, Antagonism and Enzymatic Activities of Microorganisms Isolated from Railway Station Soil

Abstract

Soil is the well-known hotspot for microbial diversity. Therefore, for our investigation, we isolated, characterized, and identified microorganisms from railway station soil. Sampling was done subsequently after every 15 days interval, and from two different soil depths i.e. 0-15 cm and below during March to May of 2013. Further, soil isolates were examined for their antagonistic activity, against four soil born plant pathogens namely, Rhizoctonia solani, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium f sp pisi, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Subsequently, isolates were screened for the presence of amylases, proteases, lipases and cellulases. For each interval of soil sampling, a gradual reduction in the microbial count was noticed from month March to May. Mucor species was observed only in the rainy days. The most promising enzymes producers were Bacillus sp., Aspergillus and Penicillium sp. Overall, the fungal isolates were better producers of enzymes as compared to bacterial isolates.