Serratia marcescens, strain SR(1) was isolated from the local soil of a cultivated farm and it was screened as potent strain for chitinase production. Maximum chitinase production (77.3 u Mh(-1) 100(-1)) was observed after 96 h of incubation period with pH 5.5 at 30°C under shake conditions (120 rpm). Compare to still flasks, shake culture with prawn fish colloidal chitin of 0.5% (w/v) concentration, showed a better enzyme yield. Crude enzyme showed antifungal activity against plant pathogens.
Keywords: Chitinase enzyme; Colloidal chitin; Plant pathogens; Serratia marcescens.