A comparative study on antibacterial activity of crude liquid, consortium and isolates from ITK formulations collected from inorganic and organic tea plantations

Abstract

Use of traditional knowledge has gained much recognition in sustainable agricultural practices. Eco-friendly approaches to use locally available commodities to prepare Indian traditional knowledge (ITK) formulations are easy and less costly for the farmers to adopt. Despite speculated positive effect, its role on the microbes of the applied environment has rarely been tested. In this present study, two ITK formulations collected from organic and inorganic tea garden were tested and compared with the synthetic pesticides. No such efficacy for studied ITK formulations was found against the gut bacteria of looper, which is one of the prime factors imparting resistance to the host pest. No antibacterial effect was observed against standard strains like E. coli and B. subtilis. Further, isolated consortia from inorganic ITK formulation showed antibiotic resistance against natural antibiotics, while complete susceptibility was observed for consortia isolated from organic ITK formulation. Whereas, complete resistant was observed for both the consortia against studied antifungals except itraconazole. Also, two hemolytic strains isolated from inorganic ITK consortia demonstrated similar resistant patterns as observed for the ITK inorganic consortia. Overall findings suggested, despite being one of the sustainable approaches for farmers, ITK formulations may sometimes lead to negligible results, which can discourage their adoption. Therefore, standardization of dosage, mode of application, timing of application, and rigorous evaluation are very much needed to enhance their reliability and wider acceptance.