Isolation, Screening and Identification of Free-Living Diazotrophic Bacteria from Salinated Arid Soils

Investigation of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria from the salinated arid soil ecosystems is important for developing novel biological solutions for dryland agriculture. The present work reports isolation, screening and identification of two strains from salt-affected soils of Latakia (Syria) and Aral Sea basin (Uzbekistan): Gracilibacillus sp. Str01 and Halomonas sp. Str02. Nitrogenase activity of Gracilibacillus sp. Str01 and Halomonas sp. Str02 (as acetylene reduction) was 2.24 ± 0.61 and 0.63 ± 0.11 C 2 H 4 nmol h –1 , respectively and these strains may be considered free-living diazotrophic bacteria from arid saline soils.