Effect of Glyphosate and Butachlor on Microbial Population and Physicochemical Properties of the Soil in Mubi North LGA, Adamawa State, Nigeria

This study focused on determining the Impact of some herbicides (glyphosate and butachlor) on soil physiochemical properties and microbial population in Mubi, Adamawa State, Nigeria. A field study was carried out from April to October 2025 in the research farm of Adamawa University Mubi. Two (2) different herbicides that include: butachlor, and glyphosate each at four different concentrations were used. The soil sample was collected prior and after application of the different concentrations of the two herbicides at two weeks interval and physiochemical properties using a standard procedures were analyzed. The results revealed that butachlor, and glyphosate  treated soils had no significant effect on most of the physiochemical properties of the soil sample at 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks after treatment (WAT). A total of eight (8) fungal species, eight (8) Gram positive bacteria, and ten (10) Gram negative bacteria were identified in the treated soils. The concentration of the two different herbicides were found to only have a significant effect on the bacterial population. The 0, 2, 4 and 6 WAT sampling periods, however, had significant effects on both the bacterial and fungal populations. The study concluded that the two herbicides used at different concentrations had no significant effect on most of the physiochemical properties of the soils sampled analyzed at 0, 2, 4 and 6 WAT with the presence of fungi species, and Gram negative and positive bacteria. The herbicides had significant effect with soil sampled at 0 WAT having higher population than 2, 4 and 6 WAT prospectively.