Fungal Rhizosphere Effects of Cassava (Manihot esculenta), Pawpaw (Carica papaya L.), Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) and Scent Leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) Plants from Soils at Rumuola, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The presence of rhizosphere microorganisms are known to promote plants growth, therefore the objective of this paper was to assess the fungal rhizosphere effects of Cassava (Manihot esculenta), pawpaw (Carica papaya L.), fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis) and scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) plants from soils obtained at Rumuola, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria using appropriate standard techniques.Results obtained show that the range of mean rhizosphere count, non-rhizosphere count and rhizosphere effect are as follows; 1.5x10⁷cfu/g to 7.35x10⁷cfu/g, 1x10⁸cfu/g to 6.60x10⁸cfu/g, 0.137 to 11.136 for Manihot esculenta; 1.09 x 10⁶ cfu/g to 8.5 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 1.65 x 10⁵ cfu/g to 8 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 0.34 to 6.606 for Carica papaya L.; 3.25 x 10⁶ cfu/g to 9.9 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 1.3 x 10⁶ cfu/g to 5.3 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 1.2 to 2.5 for Telfaria occidentalis; 3.6 x 10⁶ cfu/g to 7.9 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 4.6 x 10⁶ cfu/g to 8.4 x 10⁶ cfu/g, 0.66 to 1.71 for Ocimum gratissimum. The fungi isolated from the four plants rhizosphere are Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida spp., Aspergillus niger, Mucor spp., Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp. with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida spp. occurring in all the rhizosphere. The high rhizospheric effects agree with the presence of these diverse fungi in the rhizosphere, capable of serving economic importance as regards improved healthy plant growth.