Estimation of the number of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA)-degraders in soil and isolation of degraders eased on the method of most probable number (MPN)using PHA-film

A new method to estimate the number of poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-degrade rs in soil and to isolate degraders, called the film-MPN method, is propose d. The incubation time was measured by the first Order reaction (FOR) model . This method was used to estimate numbers of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3- hydroxyvalerate)[P(3HB-co-3HV)]- and poly(3-hydroxyvalerate-co-4-hydroxybut yrate)[P(3RB-to4IQB)]-degraders in garden soil ( 4.30 x 10(5) and 2.15 x 10 5 aerobic degraders per gram of dry soil, respectively). The number of P(3H B-co-3HV)-degraders in paddy held soil was 5.06 x 10(5) aerobic degraders p er gram dry soil. Also, several P(3HB-co-3HV)-degraders were isolated direc tly from positive-growth tubes of high dilution.