Ashby’s Mannitol Agar A1 Quality – HX-MEDIA

Ashby’s Mannitol Agar – HX-MEDIA

Product Overview

Ashby’s Mannitol Agar is a selective, nitrogen-free culture medium formulated for the isolation and cultivation of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria, particularly Azotobacter. The absence of combined nitrogen sources promotes the growth of organisms capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen.

Mannitol Agar serves as the primary carbon source, supporting the growth of Azotobacter species, which typically produce large, mucoid colonies. The medium helps suppress non-nitrogen-fixing organisms, enhancing selectivity.

It is widely used in soil microbiology, agricultural research, environmental studies, and biofertilizer research laboratories. Ashby’s Mannitol Agar provides reliable performance, clear colony morphology, and effective selectivity, making it ideal for studying nitrogen-fixing microbial populations.

🔬 Key Features

• Selective for nitrogen-fixing bacteria due to absence of combined nitrogen.

• Mannitol as the sole carbon source promotes growth of diazotrophs.

• Supports diverse soil and rhizosphere isolates.

• Minimal salts formulation ensures reproducibility and controlled growth.

• Ideal for environmental and agricultural microbiology studies.

🧪 Composition (Typical)

• Mannitol – 10 g

• Dipotassium phosphate – 0.5 g

• Magnesium sulfate – 0.2 g

• Sodium chloride – 0.1 g

• Agar – 15 g

• Distilled water – 1 L

• pH: 6.8 ± 0.2

🎯 Applications

• Isolation and enumeration of free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

• Screening of rhizosphere and soil samples for diazotrophic populations.

• Studying nitrogen fixation activity in environmental and agricultural microbiology.

• Research on plant-microbe interactions and biofertilizer development.

🛠️ How to Use

• Prepare and sterilize medium (121°C, 15 min).

• Pour plates and let solidify.

• Inoculate samples and incubate at 25–30°C for 3–7 days.

• Observe growth of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

👍 Ideal For

✔ Microbiology Labs
✔ Schools & Universities
✔ Research Institutions
✔ Industrial QC Labs
✔ DIY Science Enthusiasts