Cultural and Biochemical Characteristics of Rhizobium Present in Nodule of Pongamia Pinnata (l.) Pierre

The present investigation is an attempt to study the impact of rocky terrain on Rhizobium bacteria of root nodules isolated from legume trees. To study the morphological, cultural, and biochemical characteristics of bacterial strain the bacteria obtained from nodules of selected legume i.e. Pongamia pinnata. Rhizobia inhabited in root nodules of plant, grown in Kota university campus, rhizobia were isolated and inoculated on Yeast Extract Mannitol Agar (YEMA) medium and it’s morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics were studied. It was observed that colonies were circular or irregular; light creamish, glistering, gelatinous, convex with entire margins. The bacteria were gram negative, rod shaped, aerobic, non-spore forming and slow-moving bacteria arranged single, in pairs and in clusters. It showed negative chemical reaction for indole, while showed positive reaction for citrate utilization, catalase, urease. By the help of bio chemical characteristics it was confirmed that isolated bacterial culture may be of Rhizobium pongamie and rocky terrain with high temperature of environment does not have any negative effect on the characters of Rhizobium, our findings was supported by many earlier investigations.