449ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ETHANOLIC ROOT EXTRACT OF BETA VULGARISThe present study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial potential of ethanolic root extract of Beta vulgaris against gram negative and positive bacteria. The well diffusion technique was adopted for the antimicrobial activity. The plant extract 50 µl was used and the streptomycin 10 µg was used as reference control. The root extract of Beta vulgaris exhibited significant antimicrobial activity by inhibiting the microbial growth by sufficient zone of inhibition and the effect was comparable with reference control. From the result it was concluded that ethanolic root extract of Beta vulgaris exhibits antimicrobial activity against gram positive and negative bacterias.sengt@rediffmail.comResearch612016Beta vulgaris,Antimicrobial activity,StreptomycinKrishnaraj R,Murugan R,Premlal KRDivision of Prosthodontics,Rajah Muthiah Dental College & Hospital, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, India.,Division of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Rajah Muthiah Dental College & Hospital, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamilnadu, India.,Division of Oral Pathology & Microbiology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Science, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth University, Puducherry, India