Actinomycetes are highly economic and biotechnologically useful prokaryotes able to produce wide range of bioactive secondary metabolites such as antibiotics and enzymes. The present study, aimed to isolate and screen actinomycetes from various soil samples collected from different regions of Saini, Egypt for chitinase production. In instantaneous isolation and screening of actinomycetes from Sixty-one soil samples, only eight isolates were found to have the capability to produce chitinase on colloidal media. Actinomycete strain A13 exhibit highest chitinase production while other strain shown poor production as compared to an index of relative enzyme activity. The most potent chitinolytic actinomycete isolate No. A13 was selected for further studies concerning their identification. Morphological, physiological, and phylogenetic analysis (16S rRNA). In addition to biochemical studies and culture characteristics as well as the chemical analysis of the cell wall, were carried out for the isolate under study. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic accumulated characteristics of the most potent chitinolytic actinomycetes isolate and consulting the recommended International Key's of Bergey's Manual for identification of actinomycetes, it was found that this isolate matched with Amycolatopsis orientalis by 97% with some differences and was given the name Amycolatopsis orientalis A13 sp. nova.
The results revealed that the chitinase produced by Amycolatopsis orientalis A13 sp. nova can be optimized to produce the highest yield of chitinase and used as biocontrol agent.