Described herein are two bacterial strains, designated as KGS-2 and KGS-8 which have been shown to solubilize soil phosphorus and to enhance the growth of plants. In addition to promoting solubilisation of phosphate from sources such as dicalcium phosphate, manure and potassium phosphate, KGS-2 and KGS-8 also produce siderophore and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA).