Characterization and Diversity of Native Azotobacter Spp. Isolated From Semi-Arid Agroecosystems of Eastern Kenya

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dc.contributor.authorWakarera, Priscillah Wanjira
dc.contributor.authorOjola, Patroba
dc.contributor.authorNjeru, Ezekiel Mugendi
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-10T07:27:00Z
dc.date.available2023-07-10T07:27:00Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionArticleen_US
dc.description.abstractDeclining food production in African agroecosystems is attributable to changes in weather patterns, soil infertility and limited farming inputs. The exploitation of plant growth-promoting soil microbes could remedy these problems. Such microbes include Azotobacter; free-living, nitrogenfixing bacteria, which confer stress tolerance, avail phytohormones and aid in soil bioremediation. Here, we aimed to isolate, characterize and determine the biodiversity of native Azotobacter isolates from soils in semi-arid Eastern Kenya. Isolation was conducted on nitrogen-free Ashby’s agar and the morphological, biochemical and molecular attributes evaluated. The isolates were sequenced using DNA amplicons of 27F and 1492R primers of the 16S rRNA gene loci. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLASTn) analysis of their sequences revealed the presence of three main Azotobacter species viz., Azotobacter vinelandii, Azotobacter salinestris and Azotobacter tropicalis. Kitui County recorded the highest number of recovered Azotobacter isolates (45.4%) and lowest diversity index (0.8761). Tharaka Nithi County showed the lowest occurrence (26.36%) with a diversity index of (1.057). The diversity was influenced by the soil pH, texture and total organic content. This study reports for the first time a wide diversity of Azotobacter species from a semi-arid agroecosystem in Kenya with potential for utilization as low-cost, free-living nitrogen-fixing bioinoculant.en_US
dc.identifier.citationWakarera, P. W., Ojola, P., & Njeru, E. M. (2022). Characterization and diversity of native Azotobacter spp. isolated from semi-arid agroecosystems of Eastern Kenya. Biology Letters, 18(3), 20210612.en_US
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. c.5884474
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/26131
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherThe Royal Societyen_US
dc.subjectbiodiversityen_US
dc.subjectbioinoculanten_US
dc.subjectAzotobacteren_US
dc.subjectplant growth-promoting rhizobacteriaen_US
dc.subjectsmallholder farmersen_US
dc.titleCharacterization and Diversity of Native Azotobacter Spp. Isolated From Semi-Arid Agroecosystems of Eastern Kenyaen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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