ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Pragya Saxena1,2, Arjun Singh3, Hillol Chakdar1, Sheetal Shirodkar2 and Alok K. Srivastava1
1ICAR National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM), Mau Nath Bhanjan, Uttar Pradesh, India.
2Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh Noida Campus, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
3ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Research Station, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Article Number: 8514 | © The Author(s). 2023
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2023;17(2):1154-1162. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.17.2.45
Received: 18 February 2023 | Accepted: 10 May 2023 | Published online: 30 May 2023
Issue online: June 2023
Abstract

Indian lilac or neem (Azadirachta indica) is found in tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent. Each part of the tree is a source of various phytochemicals. Neem gum is an exudate from mature parts of the plant stem. Biochemically, it has an acidic pH range (5–6) and is composed of monosaccharides, saponins, phenols, and tannins. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity of neem gum-associated microflora through high throughput metagenomics approach using 16S rRNA variable region sequencing. The bacterial community of neem gum was dominated by Firmicutes (~82%), Proteobacteria (~18%), and Actinobacteria (~0.02%). Among the genera, Lactococcus was found to be the most dominant bacterium. The predominance of Lactococcus in neem gum is probably due to its acidic nature, which provides a suitable microenvironment for its proliferation. In addition, Lactococcus and beneficial microorganisms such as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Pantoea, Klebsiella, and Methylobacterium were also present in the gum. This study highlights the fact that neem gum can be exploited as a unique source of microorganisms for biotechnological and agricultural applications.

Keywords

Azadirachta indica, Neem Gum, Metagenomics, 16S rDNA (V3-V4 region), MiSeq

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