Distribution of viable indigenous bacteria in different sire fractions of ozonated soils

This study investigated tile effect of ozonation on indigenous microorganisms distributed in different size fractions of soil aggregates. Soil was ozonated from 0 to 300 minutes. The treated soils were fractionated into 3 groups (small, <53 $\mu$m; medium, 53-500 $\mu$m; and large, 2000-500 $\mu$m) and total heterotrophic bacteria in the soils were enumerated. Cell number decreased rapidly within 120 minute ozonation and showed slow decrease upon longer ozonation. Abundance of total heterotrophic bacteria in each fraction was in the following order regardless of ozonation time: small>medium>large fractions. Difference in microbial abundance among the fractions was smaller as ozonation time increased.