Isolation, Molecular Characterization and Optimization of Potassium Solubilizing Bacteria (KSBs) from the Kahramanmaras Region

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

The majority of potassium in the soil is in mineral form, making it unavailable to plants. K-solubilizing bacteria (KSB) increase potassium solubilization by decomposing rock-K, thereby improving soil fertility. The key purpose of this research is to isolate, characterize, and assess the potassium-solubilizing capacity of bacteria capable of solubilizing potassium from agricultural and forest environments. In this study, a total of 175 bacterial isolates capable of solubilizing potassium were isolated from soil samples taken from agricultural and forested areas in the Kahramanmaraş region. Twenty-eight bacterial strains demonstrated high potassium solubilizing capacity. Among these strains, AOB29 was recorded as the most effective in terms of potassium release, with a value of 64.03 mg L−1. The AOB29 strain was characterized phenotypically and phylogenetically, and it was identified as Bacillus mojavensis with 97% similarity based on its 16S rDNA sequence. The potassium concentration of this strain was tested at different temperatures (20 °C–40 °C), pH levels (pH 5–10), and mica doses (1–7 g L−1). The highest levels of potassium were determined as 58.7 mg L−1 at 35 °C, 64.9 mg L−1 at pH 6, and 57.1 mg L−1 with a mica dosage of 5 g L−1. Overall, the findings suggest that Bacillus mojavensis exhibits a noteworthy capability in solubilizing potassium.