Revitalizing Rose Soils with In-situ Vermicomposting: Harnessing Beverage Processing Waste for Enhanced Soil Fertility

Abstract

Composting, widely utilized for organic waste resource utilization and proven to positively impact soil fertility, has seen limited research on the use of beverage processing waste, such as coffee grounds and oolong tea waste, as composting substrates. Continuous cultivation of roses can deplete nutrients and disrupt microbial communities in the soil, yet no studies have explored composting techniques for improving soil fertility in these soils. This study investigated the effects of in-situ vermicomposting using different organic materials (coffee grounds in T1, camphor leaves in T2, and oolong tea waste in T3) on the physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure of continuously cultivated rose soils, which including control groups with continuously cropped soil and no additives. Results showed that the soil organic matter, available nitrogen, available potassium, as well as alkaline protease and cellulase in the soil inoculated with different composite matrices increased compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed in the soil bacteria among the treatment groups at the phylum level. At the genus level, Cellvibrio, Algoriphagus, and Flavobacterium were dominant in the T1, T2, and T3 treatment groups, respectively. Composting with these substrates improved soil physical and chemical properties, increased soil enzyme activity, and led to changes in soil bacterial community diversity. Oolong tea waste had the most significant effect on improving soil physical and chemical properties, while coffee grounds had the greatest impact on soil microbial abundance.