Determining the biotechnological potential of microorganisms in different soil samples

Within the study's scope, samples were taken from 4 different agricultural land points, measurements such as pH, electrical conductivity, elemental analysis, nitrogen determination, calcium carbonate analysis, % humidity, enzyme analysis, and mesophilic bacteria counts were performed. These soil samples were cultivated in various media. The bioplastic production potential of microorganisms obtained as a result of incubation was evaluated and defined. In addition, the use of these microorganisms as a carbon source of various agricultural wastes, and their ability to produce bioplastics from these wastes were examined. In addition to these studies, 16S rRNA gene-targeted new generation sequencing and Ecoplate analysis were performed to determine the microbial diversity in agricultural land. When the pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen concentrations, and % moisture of the soil samples were analyzed, it was determined that they were generally similar. Still, the calcium carbonate ratios were higher in some samples compared to others. It has been determined that soil enzyme activities are very high, and there are differences between samples. Enzymatic activity values were found to be positively correlated with microbial populations and organic carbon content. As a result of the screening of the bioplastic production capabilities of microorganisms isolated from agricultural soils, it was determined that 58 isolates have bioplastic production capability. Among these isolates, there are five isolates that use agricultural wastes as a carbon source and can produce bioplastics. As a result of optimization and experiments, it was determined that Bacillus aryabhattai and Bacillus filamentosus isolates among five isolates have the highest efficiency in bioplastic production using agricultural waste. It has been demonstrated that the synthesized bioplastics are similar to commercial bioplastics. In studies conducted to determine microbial diversity, it has been shown that the samples mostly contain Tepidisphaera genus and that there are some differences in the catabolic ability of soil microbial communities. Keywords: Agricultural soil, Agricultural waste, Bioplastic, Microbial diversity.