Bacillus thuringiensis MS 20 produces a peptide, Bacillin 20, that has been shown to improve crop stress tolerance, enhance plant growth, stimulate the production of phytohormones and modify the plant root systems for better uptake of water and nutrients. The purification of Bacillin 20 from microbial broth culture is affected by the organic compounds present in the growth media and as such decreases the overall peptide yield when subjected to various purification steps.