Agriculturally Important Microbial Germplasm Database

The main aim of this bulletin is to provide information of agriculturally important microorganisms available at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru, India for agricultural scientists, particularly those who are working in plant growth promotion, biological control, plant pathology and microbiology, extension workers, biopesticide/biofertilizer industry and students. The agriculturally important microbial germplasm database at ICRISAT currently contains a total of 59 plant growth-promoting (PGP) microbes including 12 bacteria, 46 actinomycetes and 1 fungus. These PGP microbes were isolated from 25 different herbal vermicomposts and rhizosphere soils from different organically cultivated fields of ICRISAT. The PGP microbes reported in this bulletin possess one or more PGP traits such as chitinase, lipase, protease, indoleacetic acid, siderophore, β-1,3-glucanase, cellulase and hydrocyanic acid. They were also able to grow in NaCl concentrations up to 10%, at pH values between 7 and 11, temperatures between 20 and 40°C and were compatible with some fungicides at field application levels