Kocho and Bula are fermented product of Enset (Ensete ventricosum). It is the staple food for 20 million people in Ethiopia. The aim of study was to isolate, identify and characterize yeast species from fermented kocho and bulla by using Biolog Micro station. 300 Kocho samples were collected from Angacha District. 0.1ml of serially diluted samples were Streaked on yeast pepton dextrose agar and incubated at 28 0 C. Pure yeast colony inoculum were prepared at 9ml distilled water at 49% +2 turbidometer and transferred in to YT micro plate. Incubated for 24-72 hours at 28 o C and micro plate reading were carried out using MicroLog 3 Software version. 4.20.05. Seven yeast species were identified from study samples. Biolog Micro station 100% probability and >0.5 Similarity read identify Cryptococcus albidus Var aerus, Guilliermondella selenospora, Rhodotorula acheniorum and Trichosporon beigelii. 99% Cryptococcus terreus A, 98% Candida zylandase, 86% Kluyveramyces delphensis respectively. Characterization of yeast involved in kocho fermentation is very important for formulation of starter culture, improving, standardizing and modernizing quality of traditional Enset fermentation and preparation.

been conducted by many researchers from soils, mangrove and rhizosphere [1,[12][13][14][15][16][17] AbstractPhosphorus (P) is one of the major bio elements limiting agricultural production. Phosphate solubilizing fungi play a noteworthy role in increasing the bioavailability of soil phosphates for plants. The present study was aimed at isolating and characterizing phosphate solubilizing fungi from teff rhizosphere soil. Fungi were identified using lactophenol cotton blue staining confirmation and Biolog micro station. Fungi isolates were screened and transferred to Biolog universal yeast agar media. Pure yeast cells and filamentous fungi were suspended in sterile water and filamentous fungi (FF) inoculum fluid at 49 ± 2 and 75 ± 2 turbidity measured by Biolog turbidimeter respectively. 100 μ-L transferred from each suspension into 96 wells of the biolog yeast micro Plate and filamentous fungi microplate tagged with different carbon source and incubated at 26°C for 24 to 72 h and read by the micro station reader at a single wavelength of 590 nm, results were recorded and processed for identification by micro log3 software ver. 4.20.05. Biolog micro station produce 24 fungi read results. Filamentous fungi ≤ 0.5 similarity index (62.5%), yeast ≥ 0.5 similarity index (25%), yeast ≤ 0.5 similarity index (12.5%). The identified fungi were evaluated for phosphate solubilization by the pikovskaya's agar (PVK) selective media. Seven species were positive in phosphate solubilizing ability.

Phosphorus is one of the major bio elements limiting agricultural production. About 95 to 99% phosphorus in agricultural soil is unavailable form for plant growth. Phosphate solubilizing microorganisms can increase soil phosphate availability. This study was aimed to identify and evaluate phosphate solubilizing fungi from Teff rhizosphere soil. Fungi were identified using lactophenol cotton blue staining confirmation and Biolog Microstation identification system. At 15 days incubation, T. beigelii B and R. aurantiaca A was able to solubilize phosphate with solubilizing index of 5.3 and 2.6, respectively. T. beigelii B, were superior in phosphate solubilization. Therefore, these species can be candidated and exploited after further evaluation as biofertilizers for agriculture productivity.