The soil samples were collected from various locations in and around Belgaum, Karnataka, India, dried separately at 45 °C for 1 h in a hot air oven and then cooled to room temperature. The soil sample (1 g) was added to a conical flask containing 100 ml of sterile water and few drops of Tween 80. The flasks were shaken for 30 min in an orbital shaker incubator at 27 °C and their contents designated stock cultures [3,4]