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Plant growth can be stimulated by a symbiotic relationship between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and bacteria within the rhizosphere region. These interactions are crucial for increasing soil fertility, which leads to increased productivity and sustainability, as well as food security considering a high level of malnutrition. Six rice varieties were grown with (M+) or without (M-) AMF inoculation in a randomised complete block design with three replicates. The soil physic-chemical properties were determined using standard procedures. Bacteria were isolated from the soil samples and the colony count was determined during the early and late cropping seasons of rice. Specific soil properties (phosphate, pH, organic matter) increased dramatically in the presence of AMF, which led to significant rice yield in both seasons. Bacterial species isolated included Lactobacillus spp., Klebsiella aerogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Azospirillum brasilense, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, and Micrococcus sp. Rice exudates increased the bacterial population in the early season, while AMF treatment increased the bacterial population in the late season and generally increased the bacterial species richness in both seasons. Although the actual mechanism that increased the bacterial species richness was not accessed, this study, however, shows that AMF-bacteria interaction increased and sustained soil fertility which consequently increased rice yield. A further study is necessary to determine the mechanism of the interaction observed between AMF inoculation and bacterial population.

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