Organic farming practices utilizing spent microbial biomass from an industrial fermentation facility promote transition
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ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY - ORIGINAL PAPER
Organic farming practices utilizing spent microbial biomass from an industrial fermentation facility promote transition to copiotrophic soil communities Mathew Halter1,2 · Benjamin Vaisvil3 · Vinayak Kapatral3 · James Zahn1 Received: 8 July 2020 / Accepted: 1 October 2020 © Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology 2020
Abstract Organic farming has become more prevalent in recent years as consumer demand for organic food and fiber has rapidly grown. Until recently, organic fertilizers and soil amendments have largely been based on the practices of returning crop residues, manures and related agricultural wastes back to crop production areas. One rapidly growing segment in commercial organic fertilizer development is the use of spent microbial biomass (SMB) from industrial fermentation processes. While SMB is widely accepted in many organic farming systems (OFS), little is known concerning the effectiveness, environmental impact, and influence on prokaryotic communities in soils receiving this treatment. In this study, a comparative analysis of bacterial communities associated with OFS and conventional farming systems was performed over a growing season for a field containing yellow dent corn (Zea mays). A statistically significant increase in microbial population α-diversity, along with a strong recruitment of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria populations, was observed in soils treated with SMB when compared to areas in the field that utilized conventional farmer practices. These phyla are members of the copiotrophic subgroup, and considered a signature for the use of traditional organic fertilizers. These results provide valuable new information that SMB functions similarly to traditional organic fertilizers in promoting a high level of functional prokaryotic diversity and plant growth-promoting bacteria, but in contrast do not contribute directly to viable microorganisms in the soil due to the sterilization of SMB prior to land application.
Introduction The role of soil microbiome in recent years has become a major focus in determining soil health and productivity [3, 6, 7, 23, 35]. Identification and changes in microbial community structure occur with nutrient availability and can be used as an indicator for soil health. The application of fertilizer (both chemical and organic) has marked effects on soil microbial community structures, which can in turn have long-term effects on soil productivity [1, 8, 19]. Crop productivity is increasingly dependent on soil microflora, which provides a tangible basis for tracking microbiome and * James Zahn [email protected] 1
DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts, 198 Blair Bend Drive, Loudon, TN 37774, USA
2
Present Address: Synthorx, 11099 N. Torrey Pines Road, Suite 190, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
3
Igenbio, Inc, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
its interactions with different soil and management practices [10]. Fermentation bioresiduals in the form of spent microbial biomass (SMB) is a common by-product of the f
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