Isolation and Molecular Identification of Cellulase producing bacteria from soil and litter in Veerakkal forest area, The Western Ghats, India

The cellulolytic bacterial strains were screened from both soil and litter samples in different study sites of Veerakkal forest, Manar beat, The Western Ghats, India. In the current investigation, out of 64 and 48 differentiated total purified isolates, 53 soil isolates and 34 litter isolates were screened based on the CMC method. The percent wise calculation indicated that 82 % were cellulase positive while 18 % were negative in soil isolates. Likewise, 70 % of them were positive while 30 % were negative cellulase strains in litter isolates. The average hydrolysis capacity (HC) values ranged between 1.67 to 3.25 cm. The highly potential cellulolytic bacterial isolates viz. Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus sporothermodurans, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus albus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Lysinibacillus sphaericus and Bacillus mobilis were identified from soil. Likewise, the litter cellulolytic bacterial species such as Bacillus sp., Lysinibacillus macroides, Bacillus paramycoides, Solibacillus silvestris, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Bacillus toyonensis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pacificus, Bacillus flexus, Bacillus paranthracis and Pseudomonas putida were identified. The cellulolytic bacterial population was higher during the monsoon because of the presence of higher moisture content in leaf litter. However, the cellulolytic bacterial population of soil was higher during the pre-monsoon season because of the continuous breakdown of litter which inhaled more cellulolytic strains in the soil. Finally, it was concluded that corresponding with seasonal changes, the cellulolytic bacterial community also changed and it plays a significant role in the mineralization process.