Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2016) 5(2): 637-641

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 5 Number 2(2016) pp. 637-641 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

Original Research Article doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2016.502.071

Microbial Diversity of Soil in Some Coal Mine Generated Wasteland of Raniganj Coalfield, West Bengal, India

Payel Majumder1* and Debnath Palit2

1Department of Conservation Biology, The University of Burdwan, India 2Department of Botany, Dugrapur Government College, The University of Burdwan, India *Corresponding author

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to determine the microbial diversity of soil in some coal mine generated wasteland of Raniganj Coalfield area. Seven different K e yw or ds soil samples were collected from seven different sites namely Nagrakunda, Topsi

colliery, Sidhuli, Sankerpur kenda, Bankola, Parascul, Sonepur Bazari of Raniganj Microbial Coalfield. Topography, vegetation, mining type, mining area, status of mining Diversity of Soil, operation, biological reclamation activity was considered as basis of the sample Coal Mine, selection. Soil physicochemical characteristics were also analyzed. For physical, microbiological study, soil samples were processed according to standard chemical and microbiological techniques. The results of the present study enlighted that in our mineralogical study area heterotrophic, gram negative, phosphate solubilizing bacterial characteristics population was quite high in Sankerpur kenda area whereas gram positive bacterial

population was low in this area. Nagrakunda showed much higher gram negative Article Info bacterial population whereas Bankola showed lower gram negative, nitrate

reducing and phosphate solubilizing bacterial population with low organic carbon, Accepted: potassium content. Gram positive bacterial population was high in Topsi colliery 29 January 2016 Available Online: and Sidhuli showed high nitrate reducing bacterial population. Overall, different area of Raniganj coalfield showed different picture of bacterial population with low 10, February 2016 nitrogen (except Bankola), potassium (except Nagrakunda), organic carbon (except Sonepur Bazari) and medium phosphorus content (except Sidhuli).

Introduction

Each soil habitat has unique and well influenced by qualitative and quantitative adapted microbial guilds whose activities of microorganisms (Atlas et al, functionalities maintain its nutritional status, 1991, Kaneko et al, 1977). Soil contains degrade pollutants and control different carbon in the deep oceans (Raich and Potter, pests and diseases. Soil consists of layers of 1995 and Schimel, 1995), largest stores of mineral of variable thicknesses having a nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems difference from the parent materials in their (Schlesinger, 1997). With increasing rates of morphological, physical, chemical, and anthropogenic N deposition ( Vitousek et al., mineralogical characteristics. Productivity 1997), there is a strong need to understand and sustainability of soil’s health is directly links between N inputs and soil respiration.

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Nevertheless, most of the data available so Materials and Methods far are limited to qualitative descriptions of bacterial distributions. In soil, a significant The soil samples were collected from seven proportion of the microbes serve as representative sites of Parascul, Sankerpur pathogen/competitor/symbiotic agent, Kenda, Nagrakunda, Bankola, Sidhuli, Topsi predator/ antagonist of other Colliery, and Sonepur Bazari at Raniganj microbes/organisms (Chatterjee et al., Coal Field. Top soil was removed and about 2008; Das et al, 2008, Chatterjee and Ghosh, 500 gm soil samples were collected from 2010; Chatterjee et al, 2010, Chatterjee et al seven areas and mixed them thoroughly put ,2011, Chatterjee et al,2012). Coal is a in a clean sterile polythene bags, sealed with valuable resource. It provides a significant rubber bands and the samples were analyzed amount of the world’s energy supply and it in the laboratory. After completion of is the basis for many industries. Coal mining assessment of the spoil physicochemical becomes a major industry which assures the properties like pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, energy supply and becomes indispensable potassium, and phosphorus, following for the total development of a country. Coal standard methods (Hajek et al. 1972, Isaac et mining started in the Raniganj Coalfield al. 1984, Sumner et al. 1996 and APHA, (RCF) area in 1774 during British East India 1998) soil samples were transported to the period. The Raniganj Coalfield covers an microbiological laboratory. By using area of 1530 sq.km, containing about 1306 different selective media and serial dilution sq.km of coal bearing land. There are about method microbiological study were 117 coal mines and about 60 sq.km of the performed. Microbial colonies were coalfield have been damaged by mining enumerated as colony forming units (cfu). operations. The total estimated coal The heterotrophic, gram positive, gram production is 950 Mt. Of these mines, negative, phosphate solubilizing, nitrate twelve are opencast and 105 underground. reducing bacteria were enumerated using the In 1987-88 these mine produced 12.17 Mt protocol of Pelczar et.al. 1957. and 15.84 Mt of coal respectively. Some 61.66 Mt/y of coal was produced by 2000, Results and Discussion by which time 14000ha of land in the RCF had been damaged. Mining activities Mining of coal causes massive damage of always lead to environmental degradation biological community. But a number of and pollution. Restoration is the process by colonies have been found that indicates the which the impacts of mining on the presence of particular microbial species at environment are repaired. It is an essential those seven different sites of Raniganj part of developing mineral resources in Coalfield region. And microorganism in soil accordance with the principles of sustainable are critical for the maintenance of soil development. Increasingly, today, the function in both natural and managed environmental protection sought by mining agricultural soils because of their operators includes the maintenance of involvement in such key processes as soil biodiversity. Present work has been structure formation, decomposition of designed to study the diversity of different organic matter, toxin removal, and the groups of microorganisms in relation to the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and physicochemical properties in the soil- sulphur. Seven different sites of Raniganj habitats of some coal areas of Raniganj, Coalfield were inventorized and it was West Bengal. found that the color of soil of these sites was varied from brownish to black and soil 638

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texture was coarse. The pH of soil was was varied from 4.0X104 to 8.0X 104 on tabulated in Table: 1 which varied from 4.5 those different sites of Raniganj Coalfield. to 10. Microbiological studies were Heterotrophic bacterial populations were performed by using different media which much higher in Sankerpur kenda area where tabulated in Table: 2. Serial dilution of soil in Topsi Colliery region these populations were performed and by using selective were too much lower (Table 2). Nitrate media different agar plates were prepared reducing bacterial population was low in for producing colonies in petriplate. These Bankola region, but found high in Sidhuli colonies suggest the presence of particular region (Table 2). Gram positive bacterial microbial population on those sites of population ranged from 2.5 X104 to 7.0 Raniganj Coalfield. Heterotrophic bacterial X104 and gram negative from 1.0 X104 to population ranged from 1.2X104 to 8.5X 104 7.0 X104 at different sites of Raniganj and Nitrate reducing bacterial populations Coalfield area.

Table.1 Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Soil Samples

Area Color Texture pH Nitrogen Potassium Phosphorus % of (Kg/Acre) (Kg/Acre) (Kg/Acre) Organic Carbon Nagrakunda Brownish Coarse 4.5 80 40 11 0.40 Parascul Brownish Coarse 4.5 80 20 8 0.45 Topsi Brownish Coarse 10.0 25 20 11 0.45 Colliery Sonepur Brownish Coarse 10.0 80 20 18 0.76 Bazari Bankola Brownish Coarse 5.0 300 20 11 0.36 Sankerpur Black Coarse 8.5 25 20 18 0.45 kenda Sidhuli Black Coarse 5.0 25 20 2 0.40

Table.2 Microbial Diversity in Different Soil Sample (Cfu/Gm of Soil)

Bacterial Area Population Nagrakunda Parascul Topsi Sonepur Bankola Sankerpur Sidhuli Colliery Bazari Kenda Heterotrophic (x104⁴ ) 3.5 5.0 1.2 7.5 2.0 8.5 6.5 Gram positive (x104) 4.5 3.0 7.0 3.6 5.0 2.5 3.1 Gram negative (x104) 7.0 4.0 1.5 4.8 1.0 7.0 5.0 Nitrate reducing (x104) 6.8 7.0 6.5 7.8 4.0 6.0 8.0 Phosphate solubilising 2.0 3.7 4.0 3.0 1.1 7.8 2.0 (x104) Cfu= colony forming unit

Gram negative bacterial populations were Sankerpur kenda and Nagrakunda region low in Bankola region, but found high in (Table 2). Maximum gram positive were

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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2016) 5(2): 637-641 found in Topsi Colliery area. Phosphate Chatterjee, S.N., and Ghosh, T.S., (2010). solubilizing bacterial pollution ranged from Characterization of ampicillin 1.1X104 to 7.8X104 at seven different sites resistant Bacillus sp isolated from of Raniganj Coalfield, that bacterial the midgut of Anopheles barbirostris population was too much low in Bankola (Van der Wulp) and its role on larval region where it was found high in Sankerpur development. J. Pure and Applied Kenda area. Nitrogen quantity was too much Microbiology. 4(2): 875-878. lower at Topsi colliery area where as Chatterjee, S.N., Ghosh, T.S., and Das, S., phosphorus quantity was much lower at (2010). Virulence of Bacillus cereus Sidhuli area. Potassium quantity was as natural facultative pathogen of averagely same and low in different areas of Anopheles subpictus Grassi RCF except Nagrakunda. Organic carbon (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae in content was too much high in Sonepur submerged rice-fields and shallow Bazari area whereas other area was ponds. African J. Biotechnology. averagely low in according to organic 9(41): 6983-6987. carbon quantity. So it was found at Sonepur Chatterjee, S.N., Rudra, S.K., Ghosh, T.S., Bazari, higher quantity of organic matter and Dhal, P.K., (2011). Molecular present which was important for soil fertility characterization and phylogenetic and other regions were required to raise the analysis of mosquito pathogenic level of organic carbon. Bacillus cereus (HM026606). Proceedings of 22nd National References Congress of Parasitology, University of Kalyani, West Bengal (ISBN: APHA, (1998). Standard methods for the 978-95-3-5067-220-4): 293-298. examination of Water and Waste Das, J., Danger, T.K., (2008). Microbial Water, 20th Edition. American Public population dynamic, especially Health Association, Washington DC. Bacillus thuringiensis, in partially Atlas, R.M., Horowitz, A., Krichevsky, M. aerobic rice field soils during post- and Bej, A.K., (1991). Responses of harvest period of the Himalayan, microbial populations to island, brakish water and coastal environmental disturbance. Microb habitats of India. World J. Ecol. 22:249-256.. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 24, 1403- Chatterjee, S. N., Chattoraj, K., Banerjee, P., 1410. De, M.K., and Majumdar, A., Hajek, B.F., Adams, F. And Cope, J.T., (2012). Population dynamics and (1972). Rapid determination of diversity of soil microbes in some exchangeable bases, acidity, and areas of Jalpaiguri district of West base saturation for soil Bengal, India. Asian Journal of characterization. 36: 436-438. Microbiol. Biotech. Env. Sc. Vol. 15, Isaac, Robert, A. and William, C. Johnson, No. (2): 2013: 287-290. (1984). (revised). University of Chatterjee, S.N., Das, D., and Dangar, T.K., Georgia, Athens, Ga. (2008). Efficacy of Bacillus Pelczar, Jr. M.J., Bard, R.C., Burnett, G.W., sphaericus against Aedes Conn, H.J., Demoss, R.D., Euans, (Stegomyia) aegypti, Mansonia E.E., Weiss, F.A., Jennison, M.W., Indiana (Edward) and Culex vishnui. Meckee, A.P., Riker, A.J., Warren, Entomon. 33(3): 181-187. J., Weeks, O.B., (1957). Manual of

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How to cite this article:

Payel Majumder and Debnath Palit. 2016. Microbial Diversity of Soil in Some Coal Mine Generated Wasteland of Raniganj Coalfield, West Bengal, India. Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci.5(2): 637-641. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2016.502.071

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