H. KaurM. ParmarPhutela, U.G.2020-11-182020-11-182019-09H. Kaur, M. Parmar , Phutela U.G.. Bacterial pretreatment of paddy straw for enhancing biogas production. Journal of Environmental Biology . 2019 Sep; 40(5): 1073-10780254-87042394-0379http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/214629Aim: Increasing the digestibility of paddy straw and biogas production by pretreating it with bacterial culture, Delftia sp. PP4_S3. Methodology: The chopped (3-5 cm) and soaked paddy straw in different sets (each with 250 g PS) were pretreated with bacterial culture i.e., Delftia sp. PP4_S3 suspension for different durations and was further utilized for biogas production. Results: Biogas yield was highest (180 l kg-1 PS) in paddy straw treated with Delftia sp. PP4_S3 for 3 days showing an increase of 66.1% from untreated paddy straw. Chemical analysis approximately showed that maximum reduction of lignin (45.7%) and silica (17.7%) occurred in 5 days of pretreatment. Interpretation: Treatment of paddy straw with Delftia sp. PP4_S3 enhance the digestibility of paddy straw by lowering the lignin and silica content. These observations showed that Delftia sp. PP4_S3 is a good lignocellulosic degrader and can be efficiently used for enhancing biogas productionBiogas productionDelftia sp. PP4_S3LigninPaddy strawSilicaJournal ArticleIndiaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004, IndiaDepartment of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004, IndiaDepartment of Renewable Energy Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana-141 004, India