Water samples from the Karangadu coast, Palk Strait, Southeast coast of India were sampled bimonthly for enumeration of total heterotrophic bacteria as well as phosphate solubilizing bacteria between January and December 2008.THB was high in November month and PSB was also high in September and November months, population density of THB ranged from 4.25- 8.25x106 cells ml-1 and phosphate solubilizing bacterial population from 2.02-2.6x103 cells ml-1. A wide variation in the capacity to solubilize phosphorous by the isolates of PSB were observed. Further, all the isolates were able to secrete phytohormones like Indole acetic acid (IAA) and Gibberellic acid (GA3) and also studied phosphatse activity by efficient PSB isolates under in vitro condition.
