Isolation and morphological characterization of cyanobacteria from freshwater of dharashiv district, Maharashtra, India

Cyanobacteria is a significant and varied group of diverse gram-negative bacteria. These prokaryotic autotrophs are important to the environment because they fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and enrich soil with organic matter. The current study describes the morphological characteristics and diversity of cyanobacteria found in the freshwater habitat of Maharashtra's Dharashiv District. During the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons of 2024, samples were taken from a variety of locations, including paddy fields, the Terna River site, and the Bori River site. Ten genera were used to identify and record a total of twenty-one species. The dominant taxa were identified as Gloeocapsa, Oscillatoria, Anabaena, and Nostoc. Cyanobacteria in Dharashiv District are remarkably diverse, according to the study, which will help with their exploitation for biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and other applications.