Materials and Methods
Sample collection
The samples were collected in the month of
February from top 4.0 cm soil profile, near
the effluent pipe of textile dye industry,
where most of the microbial activity takes
place. Samples were also collected from the
soil near lake into which the effluent is
released in Palakkad district. Soil sample
(approx. 500g) was collected by using sterile
spatula into clean, dry and sterile polythene
bags along with, marking pen, rubber band
and other accessories. The site selection was
done taking care of various characteristics
such as organic matter, moisture content,
particle size and color of soil and avoids
contamination as far as possible. Samples
were stored in iceboxes and transported to
the laboratory where they were kept in
refrigerator at 4 ° C until analysis.