Improved method for effective screening of ACC (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate) deaminase producing microorganisms

Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate deaminase (ACCD) producing microorganisms support plant growth under a variety of biotic and abiotic stress conditions such as drought, soil salinity, flooding, heavy metal pollution and phyto-pathogen attack. Available screening methods for ACCD give idea only about its primary microbial ACCD activity than the actual potential. In the present investigation, we have simply improved screening method by incorporating pH indicator dyes (phenol red and bromothymol blue) in ACC containing medium. This modification is based on the basic principle that ACCD action releases ammonia which can be detected by color change and zone around the bacterial colony. High color intensity and zone around the colony indicates most potent producer, colony showing only a color change indicates moderate potential and no change in colony color indicates least efficiency. Enzymatic bioassays as well as root elongation studies revealed that ACC-deaminase activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Bacillus subtilis clearly corresponds to their growth on dye incorporated ACC medium. This method could be used to complement the existing screening methods and to speed up the targeted isolation of agriculturally important microorganisms.