Sugarcane mill mud-induced putative host (soybean (Glycine max))-rhizobia symbiosis in sandy loam soil

• Published in: PloS one 2023-11, Vol.18 (11), p.e0293317-e0293317
• Main Authors: Uchimiya, Minori, DeRito, Christopher M, Hay, Anthony G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Amino acids; Bacteria; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomass; Carbon; Controlled release; Earth Sciences; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Experiments; Factories; Fertilizers; Gene sequencing; Glycine max; Glycine max - microbiology; Loam; Loam soils; Mud; Nutrients; Organic carbon; Organic fertilizers; Organic phosphorus; Physical Sciences; Plant growth; Rhizobium; RNA; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Rural development; Saccharum; Sand; Sandy loam; Sandy soils; Seeds; Silt loam; Soil; Soil amendment; Soybean; Soybeans; Sugar industry; Sugarcane; Symbiosis
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293317

Domestic production of controlled-release, compost-based, and microbe-enhanced fertilizers is being expanded in the U.S. as a part of rural development. Sugarcane mill mud is a sterilized (≈90°C) agricultural byproduct in surplus that has received interests as a soil amendment in several Southern states, because of its high phosphorus and organic carbon contents. Addition of mill mud to sandy loam significantly increased the nodule formation compared to fertilized and unfertilized controls. Mill mud addition also resulted in pod yields similar to the fertilized control. Though not found in mill mud itself, mill mud additions correlated with an increase in soil Rhizobia as determined by deep 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We hypothesize that Firmicutes in sterilized mill mud induced Rhizobia that in turn enhanced soybean (Glycine max) growth. Collectively, mill mud enhanced the plant growth promoting bacteria when applied to a silt loam, although the relative influence of mill mud-derived bacteria, organic carbon, and nutrients is yet to be determined.