Assessment of Physicochemical Properties and Identification of Microbes Associated with Illela Uncultivated Land Area in Sokoto State

Abstract

Uncultivated lands characterized by barren areas often overgrown with bushes usually serve as important ecological reservoirs for diverse microbial communities. This research was aimed to assess the physicochemical properties, isolate and identify bacterial and fungal species associated with uncultivated lands at Illela in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Soil samples were aseptically collected from the top layer (0–10 cm depth) across three (3) different selected sites (Illela town, Amarawa and Kalmalo) within Illela Local Government Area. The samples were analyzed for key physicochemical parameters including color, temperature, pH, organic matter content, concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Microbial analysis involved microbial enumeration and identification was carried out using Nutrient Agar and Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA), respectively. The physicochemical result revealed that the soil samples showed slightly acidic to alkaline pH range of 6.59±0.08 to 9.0±0.10, where the electrical conductivity (EC) ranges between 313.60±16.66µs/cm to 629.80±226.40µs/cm. The result of the mean bacterial colony counts ranges from 9.44×10⁶±17.97 (cfu/g) to 4.96×16³±10.55 (cfu/g). The bacterial species identified includes Bacillus cereus with the highest occurrence of 23.52%, followed by Alcaligenes sp. (11.76%) and Bacillus licheniformis (11.76%). Then, Bacillus arthracis, Staphylococcus aureus, Brassicibacter thermophiles, Alcaligenes faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus megaterium, Morganella morganii, and Bacillus subtilis possesses the lowest occurrence of 5.88%. The fungal species identified were Aspergillus niger (11.76%), Penicillium spp. (11.76%), Aspergillus flavus (11.76%), Fusarium spp. (5.88%) and Alternaria spp. (5.88%). Overall, this study demonstrated that Illela’s uncultivated lands harbor diverse and potential beneficial microbial communities with prospects for environmental and industrial applications.

Keywords: Uncultivated lands, Illela, Bacteria, Fungi, Bacillus cereus