Obire O¹*, Emekwuru IA¹ and Kugbenu GJ²

¹Department of Microbiology, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
²Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos

*Corresponding Author: Obire O, Department of Microbiology, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Received: December 23, 2024; Published: January 24, 2025

Abstract

Cucurbits have been associated with the degradation of solid waste at refuse dump site. This research is dedicated to exploring the potential of rhizobacteria of curcubits in the phytoremediation of components of solid wastes. A total of 84 soil and root samples were collected over a biweekly period from April to July, from six different stations of three different waste dump sites. The samples were examined for viable heterotrophic bacteria which were characterized and identified using standard microbiological techniques. The mean total viable heterotrophic bacteria population at the waste dump soil in Borokiri, Rugaraga and Eagle Island ranged from 2.00 x 103 to 2.80 x 105CFU/g; from 1.70 x 104 to 3.10 x 105; and from 1.00 x 104 to 2.10 x 105CFU/g respectively. The order of decreasing bacterial counts in the dump soils followed the order of Rugaraga > Eagle Island > Borokiri. The mean total viable heterotrophic bacteria population in the cucurbit roots in Borokiri, Rugaraga and Eagle Island ranged from 4.50 x 102 to 2.60 x 103CFU/g; from 2.50 x 101 to 2.00 x 103CFU/g; and from 2.00 x 102 to 7.80 x 102CFU/g respectively. The order of decreasing bacterial counts in the roots of cucurbits across the waste dump sites followed the order of Borokiri > Rugaraga > Eagle Island. Various bacterial species were isolated during the study, including Acinetobacter sp, Arthrobacter sp, Bacillus sp, E. coli, Micrococcus roseus, Proteus sp, Pseudomonas sp, Serratia mercescens, Staphylococcus sp, and Streptococcus sp. Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Micrococcus, Serratia mercescens and Staphylococcus were isolated from both soils and roots at all sampling stations. Statistical analysis using ANOVA (F-test) indicated that the means of total bacterial counts (CFU/g soil) within the sampling sites were not significantly different at the 95% confidence level. However, the total bacterial counts (CFU/g of root) of the cucurbit plants demonstrated significant variations at the same confidence level.

Keywords: Waste Dump Soil; Cucurbit; Roots; Pseudomonas; Acinetobacter; Arthrobacter; Phytoremediation

References

1. Abubakar IR., et al. “Environmental Sustainability Impacts of Solid Waste Management Practices in the Global South”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (2022): 12717.
2. Uzal FA., et al. “Clostridium Perfringens Toxins Involved in Mammalian Veterinary Diseases”. Open Toxicology Journal 2 (2010): 24-42.
3. Obire O., et al. “Microbial community of a waste dump site”. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management 1 (2002): 78-84.
4. Maglione G., et al. “Microbes' role in environmental pollution and remediation: a bioeconomy focus approach”. AIMS Microbiology3 (2024): 723-755.
5. Vinti G., et al. “Municipal Solid Waste Management and Adverse Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review”. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health8 (2021): 4331.
6. Schaefer H and Renner S S. “Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)”. Taxonomy1 (2011): 122-138.
7. Watson L and Dallwitz M J. “Cucurbitaceae Juss”. In: The families of flowering plants. The Hutchinson Encyclopedia. Helicon Publishing Ltd.
8. Zayed O., et al. “Nitrogen Journey in Plants: From Uptake to Metabolism, Stress Response, and Microbe Interaction”. Biomolecules10 (2024): 1443.
9. Dzvene AR and Chiduza C. “Application of Biofertilizers for Enhancing Beneficial Microbiomes in Push-Pull Cropping Systems: A Review”. Bacteria 3 (2024): 271-286.
10. Thepbandit W and Athinuwat D. “Rhizosphere Microorganisms Supply Availability of Soil Nutrients and Induce Plant Defense”. Microorganisms 12 (2024): 558.
11. Mierzejewska E., et al. “Removal and Ecotoxicity of 2,4-D and MCPA in Microbial Cultures Enriched with Structurally-Similar Plant Secondary Metabolites”. Water 11 (2019): 1451.
12. Borja JQ., et al. “Biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls using biofilm grown with biphenyl as carbon source in fluidized bed reactor”. Chemosphere 4 (2023): 555-559.
13. Mbpom RE and Okpokwasili GC. “Primary Degradation of surfactants in liquid Detergents”. Nigerian Journal of Microbiology 1-2 (1988): 387-391.
14. Ibáñez A., et al. “Microorganisms and Climate Change: A Not So Invisible Effect”. Microbiology Research 14 (2023): 918-947.
15. Abo-Alkasem MI., et al. “Microbial bioremediation as a tool for the removal of heavy metals”. Bulletin of the National Research Centre 47 (2023): 31.
16. Todorović I., et al. “Microbial diversity in soils suppressive to Fusarium diseases”. Frontiers in Plant Science 14 (2023).
17. Cunningham W., et al. “Principles of Environmental Science” (10^th Edn). McGrawHill.
18. Priya AK., et al. “Clean-Up of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Soil by Phytoremediation: A Multidisciplinary and Eco-Friendly Approach”. Toxics5 (2023): 422.
19. US-EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Microbiological Methods for Monitoring the Environment, Water and Waste” (1978): 14-86.
20. Ogbulie JN and Ojiako OA. “Biological and Agricultural Techniques” (2000): 50-66.
21. Cruiskshank R., et al. “Medical Microbiology, 2” 12th Edition. Churchill Livingstone, New York (1975).
22. Holt JG. “The Shorter’s Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology”. 8^th William and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, USA (1977).
23. Yiblet Y. “Overview of Cucurbitaceae Families”. In: H. Wang (ed.) Biological and Abiotic Stress in Cucurbitaceae Crops (2023).
24. Rodríguez-Espinosa T., et al. “Soluble Elements Released from Organic Wastes to Increase Available Nutrients for Soil and Crops”. Applied Science 13 (2023): 1151.
25. Obire O and Dollah S A. “Bacterial community and antibiotic resistance of bacteria of a municipal solid waste dumpsite soil, leachate and surrounding borehole Water”. Current Studies in Comparative Education, Science and Technology1 (2017): 95-111.
26. Liu Z., et al. “Differential response of the soil nutrients, soil bacterial community structure and metabolic functions to different risk areas in Lead-Zinc tailings”. Frontiers in Microbiology 14 (2023): 1131770.
27. Xia Y., et al. “Effects of soil pH on the growth, soil nutrient composition, and rhizosphere microbiome of Ageratina adenophora”. Peer Journal 12 (2024): e17231.
28. Dangi PL., et al. “BOD, Total and Faecal coliforms bacteria status of Lake Pichhola, Udaipur, Rajasthan”. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies3 (2017): 176-180.
29. Karungamye P., et al. “Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Hospital Wastewater”. Applied Microbiology 3 (2023): 867-882.
30. Janda JM and Abbott SL. “The Changing Face of the Family Enterobacteriaceae (Order: "Enterobacterales"): New Members, Taxonomic Issues, Geographic Expansion, and New Diseases and Disease Syndromes”. Clinical Microbiology Review2 (2021): e00174-20.
31. Simon-Oke IA., et al. “Microorganisms in Soil and Groundwater of Epe and Laje Solid Waste Dumpsites in Ondo Town, Nigeria”. Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management 2 (2023): 317-322.
32. Cheesbrough M. “District Laboratory Practice in Tropical Countries, Part. 2”. Cambridge University Press, U.K (2000): 55-80.
33. Kaur A., et al. “Genome sequences of Arthrobacter spp. that use a modified sulfoglycolytic Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway”. Archives of Microbiology3 (2022): 193.
34. Kumar V., et al. “Biomedical waste management for risk pathogens”. The Pharma Innovation Journal5 (2023): 735-740.

Citation

Citation: Obire O., et al. “Bacteria Associated with Soils and Roots of Cucurbits (Lagenaria guineensis and Luffa aegyptica) in Open Waste Dump Sites". Acta Scientific Agriculture 9.2 (2025): 65-75.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Obire O., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.