Description
Abstract
The effect of inorganic fertilizer (NPK 15:15:15) application on soil microorganisms was assessed using standard microbiological procedures. Soil samples from a cassava farm were treated with inorganic fertilizer at different rates of 0g(control), 3g, 5g, 7g and 9g to ascertain the differences on microbial population using Nutrient agar and Sabouraud Dextrose agar as media. The total viable bacterial counts ranged from 3.23 x106cfu/g to 9.6 x104cfu/g, while total viable fungal counts ranged from 7.9x104cfu/g to 9.83x105cfu/g. Microorganisms identified include the following bacteria Serratia species, Bacillus species, Proteus species, Pseudomonas species and Micrococcus species, whereas the fungal isolates were Coccidioides species, Mucor species, Aspergillus species, Nocardia species. The assessment showed that the bacterial counts decreased as the quantity of fertilizer and weeks increased while the fungal counts increased as the quantity of fertilizer and weeks increased. Inorganic fertilizer application in the present study was well tolerated by the native soil fungi, whereas it negated the population of resident soil bacteria.
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