Rhizosphere bacterial diversity in tobacco plants under different soil types and cropping pattern

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), one of the major crop plants in Tanzania, cropping affects the level of soil fertility, but the reason has not been known. Plant rhizosphere plays an important role in affecting soil fertility through changing microbial composition. We planned a pilot study to understand the changes in bacterial composition and soil nutrients in the rhizosphere soils of tobacco in three agro-ecological zone, namely Sikonge, Tabora and Urambo in Tanzania. A total of 9 group of soil samples from three experimental field sites of Sikonge, Tabora and Urambo in Tabora region, Tanzania with different soil types of loamy sand, sand and sandy loam, respectively, were selected during the 2018/19 cropping season.