NWUBA, UDOCHUKWU NOELA (2026) ISOLATION, MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION AND BIOFERTILIZER EVALUATION OF PHOSPHATE SOLUBILIZING MICROORGANISMS FOR CROP GROWTH PROMOTION OF COWPEA. Other thesis, GODFREY OKOYE UNIVERSITY, ENUGU,.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Phosphorus is a most important macro nutrient needed for plant yield, with 95–98% existing in the soil in forms unavailable to plants. The heavy reliance on chemical phosphate fertilizers to compensate for this has raised economic and environmental concerns, pushing research toward more sustainable alternatives. This work set out to isolate PSMs, confirm their identity through molecular methods, and assess their suitability as biofertilizers. Rhizospheric soil samples collected from cashew and pepper plants were screened for Pikovskaya (PVK) medium. The identified PSMs were subsequently evaluated as potential biofertilizers on three cowpea varieties under a completely randomized design with three treatments: control (T0), PSM biofertilizer (T1), and PSM biofertilizer with charcoal carrier (T2).The results identified two bacterial (B1- Bacillius niacini and B2- Pseudomonas stutzeri ) and one fungal (F1- Aspergillus niger) with phosphate solubilization index (PSI) values ranging from 2.50 to 4.00 and B1 having the value. Furthermore, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant difference (p<0.05) for most parameters on the variety, treatment level and their interaction effect. The treatment level (PSM) recorded significant effect on day to first germination, days to 50% germination, mean germination time, germination index and leaf width. Also, T1-treated seeds germinated significantly faster and more uniformly across all varieties. V1T1 and V3T1 recorded the lowest mean germination time (1.22 ± 0.10 and 1.32 ± 0.06 days respectively) and the highest germination index (18.17± 0.73 and 17.28 ± 0.38), compared to the control V1T0 which had the highest MGT of 2.91± 0.33 days. The better performance of T1-treated groups from controls, confirms the positive influence of PSM application on germination vigour. These findings demonstrate that PSMs have strong potential as affordable and eco-friendly biofertilizers capable of improving cowpea germination and early seedling development, offering a practical foundation for biofertilizer development suited to local agricultural conditions.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Q Science > Q Science (General) Q Science > QR Microbiology |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Natural Sciences and Environmental Studies |
| Depositing User: | Nnenna Ayo |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Aug 2026 14:03 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Aug 2026 14:03 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/6196 |
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