Isolation and characterization of acid- and Al-tolerant microorganisms

Acid- and aluminum (Al)-tolerant microorganisms were isolated from tea fields, from which six strains were selected and identified as Cryptococcus humicola, Rhodotorula glutinis, Aspergillus flavus Link, Penicillium sp., Penicillium janthinellum Biourge and Trichoderma asperellum. They were tolerant to Al up to 100–200 mM and could grow at low pH, 2.5–2.2. In a glucose medium (pH 3.5) the pH of the spent medium decreased to below 3.0. The toxic inorganic monomeric Al in the spent medium decreased with three strains (A. flavus F-6b, Penicillium sp. F-8b and P. janthinellum F-13), but the total Al remained constant for all strains. In a soil extract medium (pH 3.5), the pH of the spent medium of all strains increased to around 6.0–7.2 and total Al in the spent medium was removed by precipitation due to pH increase. Thus, different tolerance mechanisms were suggested in glucose and soil extract media.