Characterization of Potassium Solubilizing Bacteria (KSB) in Rhizospheric Soils of Apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) in Temperate Kashmir

Twenty seven bacterial isolates capable of solubilizing potassium were isolated from rhizospheric soils of apple var. delicious collected from sixty different orchards of Kashmir valley. Out of them, 15 isolates were isolated from soil samples collected from Shopian district and 12 were isolated from Baramulla district. Twenty three isolates formed spores and four could not form spores. All isolates had shown positive results for catalase, urease, casein hydrolysis, acid production tests and negative results for Voges-proskauer and H2S tests. While as all isolates showed positive results for Starch hydrolysis and Methyl red tests and negative results for Denitrification and gas production tests except KSB6, KSB22, KSB26 and KSB34 which showed vice versa results. So, twenty three isolates were gram positive rods belonging to Bacillus genera and four were gram negative rods belonging to Pseudomonas.