Bioorganic fertilizer promotes pakchoi growth and shapes the soil microbial structure

Abstract

As a functional probiotic, Bacillus subtilis can promote crop growth and improve nutrient utilization by various mechanisms, so it has been made into bioorganic fertilizer as a replacement for chemical fertilizer. However, the effects of B. subtilis bioorganic fertilizer application on the yield and quality of commercial crops of Brassica chinensis L., the soil physicochemical properties and the microflora have not been clarified. In this study, pot experiments were conducted using Brassica chinensis L. plants with four fertilization treatments: control without fertilization (CK), chemical fertilizer (CF), organic fertilizer (OF), and bioorganic fertilizer containing B. subtilis (BF). After 30 days of pot experiment, the results showed that BF efficiently improved plant height and biomass (1.20- and 1.93-fold, respectively); as well as significantly increasing soil available potassium and pH value. Using high-throughput sequencing, we examined the bacterial and fungal communities in the soil, and found that their diversity was remarkablely reduced in the BF treatment compared to CK group. A principal coordinate analysis also showed a clear separation of bacterial and fungal communities in the BF and CK groups. After application of B. subtilis bioorganic fertilizer, some beneficial bacteria (such as Bacillus and Ammoniphilus) and fungi (Trichoderma and Mortierella) were enriched. A network analysis indicated that bacteria were the dominant soil microbes and the presence of B. subtilis stimulated the colonization of beneficial microbial communities. In addition, predictive functional profiling demonstrated that the application of bioorganic fertilizer enhanced the function of mineral element metabolism and absorption and increased the relative abundance of saprotrophs. Overall, the application of bioorganic fertilizer effectively changed the soil microflora, improved the soil available potassium and pH value, and boosted the yield of Brassica chinensis L. This work has valuable implications for promoting the safe planting of facility vegetables and the sustainable development of green agriculture.

Effects of peach branch organic fertilizer on the soil microbial community in peach orachards

“…Unlike the results of soil bacterial community diversity, the composition of soil bacterial communities changed significantly after the application of organic fertilizer. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Acidobacteria, and Firmicutes were the dominant bacteria, which were similar to those found in other studies after the application of organic fertilizer ( Joa et al, 2014 ; Chen et al, 2020 ; Jiao et al, 2021 ; Wang T. et al, 2022 ). However, the relative abundance of certain phyla varied among different treatments.…”

“…The Chao1 and Shannon indices also did not change significantly after the application of organic fertilizer in other studies ( Jiao et al, 2021 ; Tan et al, 2023 ). However, another study showed that organic fertilizer significantly decreased the Chao1 and Shannon indices ( Wang T. et al, 2022 ). Research by Wang et al (2017) showed that organic fertilizer significantly increased the Chao1 index but had no significant effect on the Shannon index.…”

“…Soil microorganisms are very active in the soil ecosystem, are involved in the decomposition of organic matter and nitrogen fixation, and play a crucial role in soil energy flow and the nutrient cycle ( Morris and Blackwood, 2015 ; Nazaries et al, 2021 ; Wang T. et al, 2022 ). The soil bacterial community affects processes such as carbon cycling, litter decomposition, and soil fertility changes ( Cao et al, 2021 ; Zhang H. H. et al, 2022 ).…”

Two Bacillus spp. Strains Improve the Structure and Diversity of the Rhizosphere Soil Microbial Community of Lilium brownii var. viridulum

“…Previous studies have shown that exposure to B. subtilis bioorganic fertilizer significantly enhanced the metabolism and absorption pathways for mineral elements and the sulfur/phosphonate/phosphinate metabolism [ 55 ]. We sought to verify whether BF1 and Y37 had the same effect.…”

Organic Materials Promote Rhododendron simsii Growth and Rhizosphere Soil Properties in a Lead–Zinc Mining Wasteland

“…The utilization of organic fertilizer is crucial for enhancing plant growth. It serves as a significant approach to improving soil fertility, developing soil chemical properties, maintaining a balanced population of soil microorganisms, optimizing fertilizer efficiency, and contributing to the quality of agricultural produce [ 14 ]. The process of sludge decomposition has the potential to enhance the nutrient content and significantly diminish the concentration of heavy metals in the soil of mining-related areas [ 15 ].…”