In vitro Study of Plant Growth Promoting Methylotrophic Bacterial Consortium as a Plant Probiotics for Paddy

Three efficient native phyllospheric methylotrophic isolates selected for in vitro compatibility test with existing rhizospheric methylotrophic reference cultures for liquid consortium development for testing efficacy on paddy cv. Gurjari. Chess medium found best for good growth and sporulation of isolates compared to other media. Beneficial native methylotrophic bacteria inherited capacity of methane degradation, have additional ability to promote plant growth through one or more mechanisms. Among all individual isolates consortium were found maximum potash solubilization efficiency, nifH gene presence and nitrogen fixation ability, inhibitory effect on soil borne pathogenic fungi by producing protease, cellulase and lipase enzymes, in vitro efficacy of individual and consortium application of methylotrophic bacteria on rice growth. Consortium application showed significant increase in seed germination, root length, shoot length and seedling vigor index of seedlings compared to individual culture inoculation, viz. S. saprophyticus, B. subtilis, B. methylotrophicus, B. aerius, P. illinoisensis and B. megaterium respectively.