Identification of Soil Fungi and Factors that Affect their Prevalence across Different Ecological niche of Mizan Tepi University, Tepi Campus

Fungi have a role in the breakdown of organic matter and the delivery of nutrients to plants. Because Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, soil biology and soil microorganism must be thoroughly researched. The main objective of this research work was to isolate and identify fungi from the soil. The study was conducted at Mizan Tepi University, Tepi campus. An experimental study design was carried out to determine soil fungi. Soil samples were collected from three distinct sites (garden, construction, and forest sites of the campus). The samples were taken from near roots, at a depth of 10 cm and a weight of 300g. The soil collected from the gardens, forest, and construction site has deep black, black and red color respectively. Fungi were detected in a soil sample taken from construction site. The pH value of the three sites was found in the range of 5.5-5.8. In addition, the nitrogen content of garden, forest, and construction soil was 0.151%, 0.23%, and 0.0035% respectively. Besides, the phosphorus content of the soil sample was 4, 6, and 2 in garden, forest and construction sites respectively.