EARTHERN POT CULTURE METHOD TO CHECK THE STABILITY OF MARINE AZOTOBACTER IN THE SOILS BY ASSESSING GROWTH OF GREEN GRAM

摘要

Azotobacter sp. is a gram-negative soil dwelling organism with a wide variety of metabolic capabilities which include the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen by converting it to ammonia. In this study, 45 samples were positive out of 50 marine samples, collected from different locations of Rameshwaram marine region at the depth of 1-2m. The nitrogen fixing ability of the isolated Azotobacter sp. from marine source is compared with soil Azotobacter sp. and standard Azotobacter sp. by pot cultivation method by assessing the growth of green gram. Seed germination, shoot length, root length and chlorophyll content were measured. Therefore, irrespective of the environment, marine Azotobacter sp. is capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in a terrestrial environment at a higher frequency rate. Since it is a non-symbiont, it can be a suitable for all kinds of crop plants as a biofertilizer.