Phenotypic and biochemical characteristics and confirmatory tests of isolates from Mimosa pudica

Rhizobia are diverse group of soil microorganisms that can form nodule in the roots of leguminous plants and fixes atmospheric nitrogen. The present work aims at isolating and screen for morphological and biochemical characteristics of different isolates of Mimosa pudica from soil samples of Rajgarh district in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The isolates derived from Mimosa pudica developed white colonies ranging from 1 to 3 mm in diameter after 3 to 5 days of incubation on YEMA plates. Similar to the reference strains, the colonies of these isolates were round, raised, and produced a mucous texture. Among the 27 isolates examined, 23 exhibited gram-negative staining. Most of the isolates exhibited rod-shaped cells, except for 3 isolates that were coccus-shaped. On YEMA-Cr plates, 25 isolates produced white colonies, and 24 isolates tested negative for the ketolactose test. Furthermore, the strains have demonstrated the ability to flourish in a pH range of 4.5 to 6.