Molecular Characterization of Bacterial that degrades herbicides isolated from soil environment in Abuja

The study was aimed to determine the molecular characterization of bacterial that degrades herbicides isolated from soil environment in Abuja. The systemic chemical herbicide was applied on an experimental plot of land with weeds and its effects on soil bacteria and the physicochemical properties of the soil was examined for a period of seven weeks. The chemical herbicide, glyphosate, reduced the plate count of bacteria from 120 x 105 cfu/g/dwt to 48 x 105 cfu/g/dwt some hours after application and the reduction continued till the end of the sampling period. The isolated bacterial species were Simulium tani, Bacillus firmus, Pseudomonas tolaasii, Acinetobacter beijerinckii, Entrobacter sp, Citrobacter freundii , Pseudomonas poae. Organisms that were eliminated following glyphosate application were Bacillus magaterium, Pseudomonas tolaasii, Proteus sp, and Simulium tani while those that persisted throughout the experiment were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas poae, Bacillus firmus, and Entrobacter sp. It was concluded that glyphosate altered the microbial counts and had a temporary inhibitory effect on the type of bacteria present in the soil.