KEYWORDS Burkholderia MALDI-TOF MS Plant growth promotion Phylogeny ABSTRACTThe occurrence of Burkholderia genus as plant endophyte indigenous to locally cultivated sugarcane crop was studied. Totally 22 endophytic isolates were obtained from TB-T medium plates of which 10 were found to be putatively endophytic in sugarcane. The morphological, biochemical and MALDI-TOF MS analysis were done and 5 endophytic Burkholderia sp. isolates were identified. Among them, the isolate Burkholderia sp. ES4 shown maximum; diazotrophic activity (total nitrogen: 11.9 mg g -1 of malate; nitrogenase activity: 578.3 n mol C2H4 released h -1 mg -1 protein), mineral solubilization activity (10.2mm, 8.2mm and 3.2 mm solublization zone of P, ZnO and CaCO3 respectively; available phosphorous: 0.72mg ml -1 ), antagonistic activity (54.56 percent inhibition of Colletotrichum falcatum mycelium) and phytohormone production (IAA (16.09 µg ml -1 ); GA (10.54 µg ml -1 )), thereby revealing its plant growth promoting potential. The 16S r RNA gene sequence of the isolate Burkholderia sp. ES4 was sequenced and its phylogenetic analysis shown that the isolate forms a monophyletic subclade within the plant-beneficial-environment" (PBE) Burkholderia group. Thus a potent native plant endophytic strain, Burkholderia sp. ES4 that could be developed as biofertilizer inoculum for sugarcane crop, was obtained in this study.