Evaluation of Osmotolerant Potential of Halomonas sulfidaeris MV-19 Isolated from a Mud Volcano

Salinity is one of the major challenges for cultivation of crops in a sustainable way because it severely affects plant growth and yield. Keeping this challenge in view, in the current study, a salt-tolerant Halomonas MV-19 was isolated from an extreme niche of mud volcano of Andaman Nicobar Island, India and identified on the basis of standard morphological, biochemical, and physiological tests and identified as Halomonas sulfidaeris strain MV-19 by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bacterium can grow on nutrient agar and nutrient broth supplemented with 3.5 M (≥ 20%) sodium chloride (NaCl). Sugar utilization assay revealed that H. sulfidaeris MV-19 utilizes only three sugars (dextrose, fructose, and mannose) from among twenty four tested sugars. The best growth of H. sulfidaeris MV-19 was observed in nutrient broth supplemented with 8% NaCl. When the broth was supplemented with dextrose, fructose, and mannose, the H. sulfidaeris MV-19 grew maximally in nutrient broth supplemented with 8% NaCl and 5% fructose. This strain produced exopolysaccharides (EPS) in nutrient broth supplemented with 8% NaCl and sugars (dextrose, fructose, and mannose). The EPS production was increased by 350% (three and half time) after addition of 5% fructose in nutrient broth compare with the EPS production in nutrient broth without supplemented with sugars. H. sulfidaeris MV-19 strain can produce EPS, which can help aggregate soil particle and reduced osmotic potential in soil, thus, be useful in alleviation of salinity stress in different crops cultivated in saline soils. The findings of the current investigation are expected to contribute towards effective abiotic stress management.