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Haloarchaea Endowed with Phosphorus Solubilization Attribute Implicated in Phosphorus Cycle.
Ajar Nath Yadav1, Divya Sharma1, Sneha Gulati1
1Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India.
Scientific Reports
|July 29, 2015
Summary
Researchers discovered novel phosphate-solubilizing haloarchaea in India's Rann of Kutch. These microorganisms efficiently solubilize phosphate, offering potential benefits for plant nutrition in saline environments.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Archaea inhabit extreme environments like high temperature, pH, and salinity.
- The Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, is a hypersaline region with unique microbial populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To screen and identify phosphate-solubilizing archaea from the Rann of Kutch.
- To develop a specialized medium for culturing and assessing phosphate solubilization by haloarchaea.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of 157 archaeal strains from sediment, water, and soil samples.
- Design and application of a novel Haloarchaea P Solubilization (HPS) medium.
- Identification of phosphate-solubilizing isolates using HPLC and 16S rRNA sequencing (implied).
Main Results:
- Twenty archaeal isolates demonstrated significant phosphate solubilization activity.
- Seventeen distinct species across eleven genera were identified as phosphate solubilizers.
- Natrinema sp. strain IARI-WRAB2 and Halococcus hamelinensis strain IARI-SNS2 were the most efficient P-solubilizers.
- Seven organic acids were detected, contributing to P solubilization and pH reduction.
Conclusions:
- This study reports for the first time the significant phosphate solubilization by haloarchaea through organic acid production.
- These haloarchaea possess potential roles in phosphorus nutrition for plants in hypersaline ecosystems.
- The developed HPS medium is effective for isolating and studying phosphate-solubilizing haloarchaea.
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