ABSTRACT
Background:The quality of life on earth is linked inseparably to the overall quality of the environment. Soil pollution with heavy metals has become a critical environmental concern due to its potential adverse ecological effects. The study explored the heavy metals resistance properties of bacteria isolated from fertilizer applied agricultural and non-agricultural soils. Methods:The soil samples were collected from both fertilizer applied agricultural soils and non-agricultural soils. After identification and characterization of the isolates from both soil types, six (6) similar bacterial isolates were selected to screen for resistance against Cobalt (Co+), Lead (Pb2+), Cromium (Cr+3), Mercury (Hg2+), Nickel (Ni2+), Cadmium (Cd2+) and Zinc (Zn2+) heavy metals. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the bacterial isolates were determined by gradually increasing the concentration of heavy metals on agar plates until the isolates failed to show growth.Results:The isolates from fertilizer applied agricultural soil showed the highest resistance against the selected heavy metals than those isolated from fertilizers not applied(nonagricultural) soils.Conclusions:From this result it can be seen that fertilizer has significant role in influencing the heavy metal resistance properties of bacteria and these heavy metal resistant bacteria can be useful for the bioremediation of heavy metal contaminated environment