ABSTRACT

The effect of cassava mill effluent on soil microorganisms and the physicochemical parameters of the soil at various depths were studied. The results revealed the bacterial isolates as Proteus spp, Bacillus spp, Staphylococcus spp, Streptococcus spp, Clostridium spp, Pseudomonas spp and Klebsiella spp, while the fungi isolates were Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp, Mucor spp, Rhizopus spp, Fusarium spp and Yeast cells like Sacchromycetes spp. At various depths, there are significant differences in the total aerobic bacterial counts at surface (7.25x108±2.92cfu/g), subsurface (8.6x108±2.79 cfu/g) and deeper sample counts (6.4x108±2.67cfu/g). Total fungal counts also showed significant differences at P<0.05 between the surface (2.7X103±1.2cfu/g) and subsurface (4.9x103±3.1cfu/g) sample counts as well as between surface and deeper sample counts (3.3x103±1.3 cfu/g), while there was no significant difference observed between surface and deeper sample counts at P>0.05. The pH and the Cyanogenic glucosides, increased with depth while %N, %OM, Mg, Ca, Moisture Content ratios, all decreased with depth. Cassava Mill Effluent (CME) negatively affected the microbial populations and physicochemical parameters of the soil around it at various depths. Hence, waste generated in the environment should be properly treated before discharging them into the environment.