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Application of actinomycetes to soil to ameliorate water repellency
Author(s) -
McKenna F.,
ElTarabily K.A.,
Petrie S.,
Chen C.,
Dell B.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
letters in applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.698
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1472-765X
pISSN - 0266-8254
DOI - 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2002.01136.x
Subject(s) - bacteria , soil bacteria , environmental science , biology , ecology , microbiology and biotechnology , paleontology
Aims: The aim of this study was to develop a novel isolation technique using a mixture of Bacillus and Streptomyces phages to selectively isolate wax‐utilizing non‐streptomycete actinomycetes effective in ameliorating water repellency in a problem soil. Methods and Results: Phages added to a soil suspension reduced the dominance of Bacillus and Streptomyces isolates and significantly increased the number of non‐streptomycete actinomycetes on isolation plates. Promising isolates, grown on a medium containing beeswax as sole carbon source, were selected for application to water repellent soil. Their addition significantly reduced water repellency. Conclusions: Phage application significantly increased the isolation of non‐streptomycete actinomycetes. Wax‐utilizing isolates were found to significantly reduce water repellency in a problem soil. Significance and Impact of the Study: The phage technique can be used for the routine isolation of non‐streptomycete actinomycetes. Beeswax medium can be used to selectively isolate wax‐utilizing micro‐organisms with the potential to ameliorate water repellency in soil.