Soil and fruit samples were collected from agricultural fields and local fruit markets near Coimbatore north region. Yeast-potato extract medium was used for isolation of ethylene producing bacterium, 11 bacteria were isolated and purified for further analysis. Ethylene producing ability was considered for screening the isolates using the Gas chromatography system with the porapak-Q column and flame ionization detector. Out of 11, 7 isolates produced ethylene when L-methionine was supplemented as the precursor. These bacterial isolates were characterized morphologically and biochemically and tentatively identified as Bacillus, E-coli and Pseudomonas sp. The microorganisms producing ethylene provide a potential option to replace artificial ripening agents in the future.
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