ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to isolate and identify the-microbial genera that are associated with· .the rhizosphere of some plants found in diesel polluted soil.Rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil samples were collected from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia ''State. Pour plate technique was used for the analysis· of microbial population. Bacterial isolates were identified by morphological, and a biochemical characteristic while the identification of fungi was based on the microscopic and macroscopic features of the hyphal mass, the morphology of cells and spores. The bacteria genera isolated were Pseudomonas sp. Enterobacter sp., Staphylococcus sp.Aerpcoccus sp.C(oslridium sp. while the fungal were Penicillin sp.Aspergillus sp. Yeast, Halosporangium sp. Geniculosporagium sp. • Articu/osirium sp. Streptothrix sp. The bacterial counts of the rhizosphere sample (3.3x10cfu/g) were higher than that of fungi count (3.05x10 3 cfu/g). The rhizosphere soil had the lowest count of 1.91x106cfu/g for bacteria and 1.40x10'cfu/g for fungi. The nonrhizosphere (bulk) soil sample had the highest count of 2.90x10cfu/g for bacteria and 2.40x10° for fungi' and a least count of l .88x 1 0cfu/g for bacteria and l .08x 10cfu/g . These microbial isolates can-be employed as seeds in the bioremediation of diesel polluted soil.