MICROBIAL LOAD AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL IN NATIONAL CEREAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE RICE FIELD, BADEGGI, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the microbial load and pyhsico-chemical properties of the soil in National Cereal Research Institute rice field, Badeggi, Nigeria. The soil samples collected from fadama, hydromorphic and uncultivated field of NCRI were serially diluted and plated on Potato Dextrose Agar and Nutrient Agar. The incubation was done at 27oC and the associated bacteria and fungi were isolated and enumerated. The physico chemical properties of the soil were also done. A total of seven (7) bacteria; Echericha coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Chromobacterium sp. Pseudomonas aureginosa, Micrococcus luteus, and Bacillus cereus were isolated and identified. In Fadama, Chromobactreium sp. has the highest percentage frequency (21.89%), Micrococcus luteus in hydromorphic (24.99%) and Pseudomona aerugenosa (23.79%) in uncultivated soil. A total of eight fungi belonging to five general were isolated, identified and characterized to be Aspergillus niger, Ppenicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Rhizopus sp.,Aspergillus flavus, Neurospora sitophilia, Mucor sp. and Aspergillus fumigatus. In Fadama, Aspergillus niger has the highest percentage frequency (24.28%) while Aspergillus flavushas the highest percentage frequency (23.70% and 25.07%) in hydromorphic and uncultivated field respectively. The moisture content of Fadama and hydromorphic are 8.80+0.01 and 8.00+0.01 respectively which were significantly different (p<0.05)from Uncultivated soil(3.00+0.01) The results on mineral content of the three soils revealed that the organic carbon, phosphorus, exchange acidity, sand and clay were not significantly different (p>0.05) however, the percentage Nitrogen content were significantly different (p<0.05) with Fadama soil having the highest percentage of (0.43%) from hydromorphic soil and uncultivated soil which were not significantly different. The calcium, potassium and sodium were significantly different (p<0.05).Therefore, The analysis showed that soil microbes and its physico-chemical properties play very vital role in soil nutrient in rice cultivated field as the uncultivated soil showed less microbial activities and physic-chemical properties hence low nutrients.