Isolation and Screening of Silicate Solubilizing Microbes: Modern Bioinputs for Crops

Pertaining to the importance of silica as fertilizer for various crops, silica solubilizers become new component of biofertilizers for sustainable crop and fertility management. Importance of silica metal has been identified for tolerance of biotic and abiotic factors, growth enhancement, etc. Soil is rich source of silica however; it is majorly available in un-utilizable form of silicates. Therefore, silicate solubilizing microbes are essential part of micronutrient management program. The present protocol describes method of isolation and screening of silicate solubilizers from various sources. The application of pH indicator dyes in medium will also help to find out microbe-mediated mechanism of silicate solubilization. Medium with differential sources of immobilized or polymeric silicates will allow isolation of potent and versatile silicate solubilizers useful as modern bioinputs for crops.