PubMed · 2026-05-13
Researchers identified cold-adapted soil bacteria from Himalayan glaciers that can help plants grow in freezing conditions, potentially replacing standard biofertilizers that fail at high altitudes. Genetic analysis revealed these bacteria have unique metabolic traits that distinguish them from similar cold-habitat microbes worldwide.
Cold-adapted Actinobacteria from Himalayan glaciers remain metabolically active at low temperatures where standard biofertilizers fail.
Genomic comparison showed Himalayan strains cluster distinctly from non-Himalayan cold-habitat strains, driven by differences in alanine/aspartate/glutamate metabolism, geraniol degradation, and pyruvate metabolism.
This is described as a pioneering genomic differentiation of Himalayan actinomycetes, establishing a foundation for developing cold-active bioinoculants for high-altitude crop cultivation.