In vitro studies on different microbial consortia for utilization of chlormequat chloride (ccc) as food source

Chlormequat Chloride (CCC) is a very stable compound used as PGR during foundation and forward pruning as growth retardant in vineyards. Because of non judicial use of CCC exceed the current MRLs at European level in the table grapes and exports may reject from India due to human health risks. So there is need for bioremediation to degrade CCC. Utilization abilities of three bacterial species consortia and three fungal species consortia to mineralize CCC at different time intervals were evaluated in this study developed from isolated pure microbes *BAA- Azotobacter indicus and Acetobacter acetii, *BBP- Bacillus megaterium and Pseudomonas fluorescens, ***BPB Pseudomonas putida and Bacillus subtilis. Three fungal species consortia *FAA- Aspergillus nigar and Aspergillus awamorii, **FTT-Trichoderma viridi and Trichoderma harzianum, ***FDC- Trichoderma viridi and Trichoderma harzianum and Aspergillus nigar and Aspergillus awamori and Penicillium notatum were mass multiplied, stabilized in liquid formulation in vitro. These microbial consortiums were screened for their capability of utilizing CCC as sole carbon energy source, and found it was rapidly utilized CCC beyond (500 mg-1L) and showed abundance growth in a PDA and Nutrient Agar medium. The concentration of the CCC in the medium decreased exponentially with the exposure time. It is evident from the data that the maximum growth of bacterial consortium **BPB was observed in nutrient broth enriched with 2500 mg-1L and fungal consortium *** FDC in potato dextrose broth enriched with 1500 mg-1L CCC with residue 25.14 mg-1L and 24.60 mg-1L on 90th day reflecting 99.07 and 98.36 % utilization of CCC respectively, as a food source on LCMS-MS. Change in optical density, and spore biomass produced supported the biological transformation further resulting in mineralization of CCC.