Research Reveals Key to Sustainable Agriculture through Microbial Diversity in Composting

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Jilin Agricultural University have found a way to promote sustainable agriculture through the use of composting with * * Auricularia heimuer* * residue and chicken manure. This approach, which involves incorporating the residue into potting soil, has been shown to increase microbial diversity and improve soil properties, leading to enhanced maize growth and reduced waste.

Key Takeaways:

  • The composting process resulted in a pH range of 7-8 and a stable moisture content of 60%, with a temperature above 50 °C for more than 14 days, meeting safety and sanitation requirements.
  • Lignocellulose content steadily decreased, while lignocellulosic enzyme activity and actinomycete abundance increased, indicating suitability for field application.
  • Compared to the control, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium in the soil increased by 57.81-77.91%, 4.5-19.28%, and 301.09-577.2%, respectively.
  • Maize root weight, plant biomass, and root number increased by 120.87-138.59%, 117.83-152.86%, and 29.03-75.81%, respectively.
  • Compost application also enhanced bacterial and fungal diversity, with bacterial diversity indices ranging from 6.744 to 9.491 and fungal diversity indices ranging from 4.811 to 8.583.
  • The primary drivers of rhizosphere microbial community dynamics were found to be total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and lignocellulose content, with significant correlations with the dominant bacterial and fungal taxa.

Statistics:

  • 57.81-77.91% increase in total nitrogen in the soil compared to the control
  • 4.5-19.28% increase in total phosphorus in the soil compared to the control
  • 301.09-577.2% increase in total potassium in the soil compared to the control
  • 120.87-138.59% increase in maize root weight
  • 117.83-152.86% increase in maize plant biomass
  • 29.03-75.81% increase in maize root number
  • Bacterial diversity indices ranging from 6.744 to 9.491
  • Fungal diversity indices ranging from 4.811 to 8.583

Sources:

  • Agriculture, 2025, 15(8):879. (Agriculture - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/agriculture)
  • MDPI AG (publisher)
  • DOI: 10.3390/agriculture15080879 (free version available at https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.3390/agriculture15080879)