Research Journal of Recent Sciences _______________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 317-319 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci.

Short Communication

Biodiversity of Actinomycetes in Hypersaline soils of Kolhapur district and
their screening as potential antibiotic producer, India
Nakade D. B.
Dept. of microbiology, govt. Rajaram college,vidyanagar, Kolhapur, MS, INDIA

Available online at: www.isca.in
(Received 30th Sepatember 2011, revised 30th December 2011 , accepted 24th January 2012)

Abstract
Hyper saline Soil samples from different sites in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra were analysed over a period of one year for
actinomycetes population. Microscopic, cultural, biochemical characters, pigmentation, cell wall analysis and spore morphology
and other criteria were used to identify the Actinomycetes isolates. Members of genus Streptomyces were identified by MICRO-IS
software1. Isolates other than Streptomyces genus were identified using Bergeys manual of systematic bacteriologyy 2.The
actinomycetes species identified are Streptomyces (37),Streptoverticillum (20),Micromonospora (15),Nocardia (13),Microbispora
(08),Actinoplanes (5),Planomonospora(04),Kitasatosporia (3).Isolates were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activity by
Agar overlay technique using two bacterial and four fungal species.Results indicated that the hyper saline soils are rich in
biodiversity of actinomycetes, 4 species showed antifungal activity and 10 showed antibacterial activity.Present study indicated that
the halophillic actinomycetes have a great potential to be an antibiotic producer and can be explored for antibiotic production.
Keywords: Hyper saline soil, actinomycetes, agar overlay, screening, antibacterial, antifungal, biodiversity.

Introduction
Hyper saline habitats are typical extreme environments that
include saline lakes, salterns, saline soils, hyper saline soils.
Hyper saline soils are the soils for which the conductivity of
the saturation extract is more than 18 mmhos/cm at 25 0 C1.
As these soils contains 9 to 23 percent salts, these soils are
reach in moderate halophiles2,3,4. Kolhapur district is one of
the important southern district of Maharashtra states
occupying an area of 7,685 sq.kms.Geographycally Kolhapur
district is divided in to twelve taluka regions, of which Shirol
taluka is worstly affected by salinity.
It occupies 44,794 hectares of land, out of which 2021
hectares is hyper saline. Few researchers have carried out
number of studies on soils derived from disused salterns, but
saline deserts are unexplored5,6,7. In present study we
analysed these soils for actinomycetes biodiversity and were
screened for their potential as antibiotic producers.

Material and Methods
Forty soil samples from 10 to 15 cm area were collected in
plastic bags from hyper saline soils. From this 500 gm was
used for physicochemical analysis and remaining 500 gm
used for isolation of Actinomycetes. For the isolation
Glycerol aspargine agar, Yeast extract sucrose agar, Sucrose
nitrate agar, Bennets agar and coconut milk agar each
inoculated with Nystatin 50 mg / ml and 15 % NaCl were
used as suitable media. Total Actinomycetes population was
determined by standard plate count method8. Plates were
incubated at 28OC for 7 to 21 days.
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Representative actinomycetes isolates were selected from
different media. Selection was done on the basis of cultural
and morphological characters without repetition of same
Actinomycetes
isolates.
Biochemical
characters,
pigmentation, cell wall analysis9,10,11. Spore morphology by
inclined coverslip technique11. Other characters were used to
identify isolates to species level. The members of
Streptomyces genus were identified by using MICRO-IS
software12 and Isolates other than Streptomyces genus was
identified using Bergeys
manual of systematic
bacteriology13. All the isolates were screened for
antibacterial and antifungal activity by Agar overlay
technique13. Using two bacterial and four fungal pathogens.

Results and Discussion
In all 105 actinomycetes were isolated on different media.
Isolates identified belonged to eight different genera.

Genus
Streptomyces
Streptoverticillium
Micromonospora
Nocardia
Microbispora
Actinoplanes
Planomonospora
Kitasatosporia

Table-1
Total number of isolates
37
20
15
13
8
5
4
3

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Research Journal of Recent Sciences ____________________________________________________________ ISSN 2277 - 2502
Vol. 1(ISC-2011), 317-319 (2012)
Res.J.Recent.Sci
Actinomycetes genera isolated from hypersaline soils were
Streptomyces,
Streptoverticillium,
Micromonospora,
Nocardia, Microbispora, Actinoplanes, Planomonospora,
Kitasatosporia.
Some researchers reported that Micromonospora was
predominant in rivers, lakes and streams14,15. The
actinomycetes that are found commonly in aquatic habitats
are
Streptomyces,
Micromonospora,
Actinoplanes,
Nocardia,Thermoactinomyces. It was also reported that there
was a wide range of organisms which grows in wide range of
salt3,16,17 Concentrations.
The composition of micro flora was generally the same in
saline and non saline soils, except for particular species,
which were absent from saline soils. The difference was the
dominance of a particular species18. Most of the isolates
appeared to be moderate halophiles with growth between 5 to
15 percent salt5.
Present study indicated that the genera Streptomyces,is more
dominant in hypersaline soil followed by Streptoverticillium,
Micromonospora, Nocardia, Microbispora, Actinoplanes,
Planomonospora, Kitasatosporia.
Out of 105 isolates,37 belonged to genus Streptomyces these
are, Streptomyces albidoflavus, Streptomyces exfoliates,
Streptomyces violaceous, Streptomyces rochei, Streptomyces
albus,
Streptomyces
diastaticus,
Streptomyces
olivaceoviridis, Streptomyces griseoflavus, Streptomyces
rimosus,
Streptomyces
microflavus,
Streptomyces
antibioticus, Streptomyces californicus, Streptomyces
flaveolus, Streptomyces luridus, Streptomyces griseoluteus,
Streptomyces xanthochromogenes, Streptomyces fradie,
Streptomyces
atroolivaceus,
Streptomyces
canus,
Streptomyces graminifaciens, Streptomyces gelaticus,
Streptomyces badius, Streptomyces alboflavus, Streptomyces
fragilis, Streptomyces rameus, Streptomyces globosus,
Streptomyces atratus, Streptomyces albopinus, Streptomyces
bobili, Streptomyces Rangoon, Streptomyces albosporus,
Streptomyces roseoflavus, Streptomyces cinnamonensis,
Streptomyces tricolor, Streptomyces noursei, Streptomyces
olivaceiseleroticus, Streptomyces fimbriatus.
Out of these Streptomyces albidoflavus, Streptomyces
griseoflavus, Streptomyces alboflavus, Streptomyces rimosus
showed antifungal activity against against Aspergillus
niger,Fusarium solani,Candida albicans,Cryptococcus. And
Streptomyces rameus, Streptomyces albus, Streptomyces
exfoliates, Streptomyces violaceus, Streptomyces fragilis,
Streptomyces olivaceiseleroticus, Streptomyces diasticus,
Streptomyces albidoflavus, Streptomyces graminifaciens,
Streptomyces antibioticus showed antibacterial activity
against Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus.

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Conclusion
In present study i report the detail analysis of Actinomyces in
hyper saline soils. This indicated that hyper saline soils are
rich in the biodiversity of actinomycetes and can be used as
potential for antibiotic production.

Acknowledgements
We are thankful to UGC for giving minor research project
and also thank Govt. of Maharashtra and Principal Rajaram
College, Kolhapur for providing the necessary research
facilities.

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Res.J.Recent.Sci
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