Results and discussion
3.1. Isolation of lactococci
In this study, 12 lactococcal strains were isolated from grass and vegetables
based on 16S rDNA sequencing (Table 1). Ten of the isolates
belonged to L. lactis subsp. lactis and two belonged to L. lactis subsp.
cremoris. Six of the subsp. lactis strains were isolated from fresh green
peas, three from grass and one from sweet corn, and the two subsp.
cremoris strains were isolated from grass (Table 2 and ST1). The 16S
rDNA sequence blast analysis results were consistent with those obtained
using subspecies specific primers.
The plant derived lactococci isolates displayed a very broad adaptation
like high salt (6.5%) and alkaline conditions (pH 9.5) (data not
shown), which indicate that the strains are more suited to harsh