BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL DIVERSITY IN RHIZOSPHERE SOILS OF BT AND NON-BT COTTON IN NATURAL SYSTEMS

T. Sultana, P. K. Pindi

Abstract: Bacteria are the most diverse living beings on earth and only a fraction of them have been identified. This study aims at the analysis of the diversity of bacteria and fungi in rhizosphere soils of Bt and non-Bt cotton fields, which were collected from four different locations of Mahabubnagar District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Bacterial and fungal genera identification was done based on 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene sequences respectively. The results regarding bacterial and fungal diversity revealed 6 and 7 predominant genera resp. in Bt and non-Bt cotton species. The most abundant representatives belong to the Azospirillum, Bacillus and Pseudomonas in bacteria and and Fusarium, Aspegillus, Rhizopus and Alternarica in fungi. Results revealed that non-Bt cotton plant growth is more than Bt cotton plant growth and rhizosphere soil sample of non-Bt cotton has shown increased number of bacterial and fungal populations indicating adverse effects on soil micro flora.

Keywords: bacteria; cotton; diversity; fungi; rhizosphere

Date published: 2019-01-17