Effects of Agricultural Management of Spent Mushroom Waste on Phytotoxicity and Microbiological Transformations of C, P, and S in Soil and Their Consequences for the Greenhouse Effect.

The huge volumes of currently generated agricultural waste pose a challenge to the economy of the 21st century. One of the directions for their reuse may be as fertilizer. Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) could become an alternative to manure (M). A three-year field experiment was carried out, in which the purpose was to test and compare the effect of SMS alone, as well as in multiple variants with mineral fertilization, and in manure with a variety of soil quality indices-such as enzymatic activity, soil phytotoxicity, and greenhouse gas emissions, i.e., CO2. The use of SMS resulted in significant stimulation of respiratory and dehydrogenase activity. Inhibition of acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase activity via SMS was recorded. SMS showed varying effects on soil phytotoxicity, dependent on time. A positive effect was noted for the growth index (GI), while inhibition of root growth was observed in the first two years of the experiment. The effect of M on soil respiratory and dehydrogenase activity was significantly weaker compared to SMS. Therefore, M is a safer fertilizer as it does not cause a significant persistent increase in CO2 emissions. Changes in the phytotoxicity parameters of the soil fertilized with manure, however, showed a similar trend as in the soil fertilized with SMS.

Microbial activity and community level physiological profiles (CLPP) of soil under the cultivation of spring rape with the Roundup 360 SL herbicide.

PURPOSE: The use of glyphosate in agriculture raises a lot of controversy because research concerning its impact on the soil provides contradictory information. However, despite these negative opinions, glyphosate is still used in agricultural practice. Therefore, for a more complete assessment, the authors carried out research using traditional microbiological methods and a modern method of metabolic profile analysis in glyphosate-treated soil. METHODS: The study was carried out on the soil witch was sown with six cultivars of rapeseed. Seven days before harvest, the plants were sprayed with the herbicide. The analyses consisted in determining the number of selected groups of microorganisms, biochemical and enzymatic activity, and differentiation of the catabolic potential of soil microbial communities. RESULTS: The results showed significant changes in the analyzed parameters. Respiratory activity and ammonification processes were stimulated in the treatments with rapeseed cultivation treated with the herbicide. Changes in the enzymatic activity were generally positive. The EcoPlate assessment of microbial community catabolism showed that the highest activity was recorded in the soil sown with the cultivars Belinda, Tamarin, and Sw svinto. Concurrently, these soils were characterized by the highest correlations between rapeseed cultivar and metabolic activity. CONCLUSION: Cultivation of specific plant varieties that reduce the negative effect of herbicides used in agriculture may be one of the methods to prevent soil degradation. In our research, Belinda turned out to be a cultivar, under the cultivation of which an increase in the activity of microorganisms was recorded most frequently compared to soil not sown with rapeseed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-021-00753-3.

Effect of reclamation treatments on microbial activity and phytotoxicity of soil degraded by the sulphur mining industry.

The aim of the work was to determine the trend, intensity and changes of selected microbial and phytotoxic parameters of degraded soil in the area of former sulphur mine reclaimed by post-flotation lime (PFL), sewage sludge (SS), mineral wool (MW- mixed with soil, MWP-pad) and mineral fertilizer (NPK). The following parameters: number of proteolytic bacteria and fungi, ammonification, nitrification, activities of alkaline phosphatase and arylsulphatase Lepidium sativum growth index (GI) and phenolic compounds were analysed in the soil in second and third year of the experiment. The addition of the SS separately or in combination with other remediation agents was found to be the most valuable for the number of microorganisms, intensification of nitrification process and enzymatic activities. In objects where other materials were added without sewage sludge, the inhibition of fungal growth as well as alkaline phosphatase and arylsulphatase activities was observed, however the inhibitory effect declined with time. The observed increase of GI shows the long-term, positive effect of treatments on soil properties concerning plant growth. The use of lime and lime together with sewage sludge contributed to the decrease in the content of phenolic compounds in the reclaimed soil.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of land reclamation based on microbiological and biochemical parameters assessed in an ozokerite mining and processing landfill sown with Trifolium hybridum and Dactylis glomerata.

The aim of the study was to analyse the microbiological and biochemical activity of a reclaimed landfill produced during extraction and processing ozokerite and sown with Trifolium hybridum and Dactylis glomerata. The analyses were carried out in the third year after application of two doses of sewage sludge, spent mushroom substrate, sawdust, and manure to the landfill soil. The following parameters were determined: the total number of oligotrophic bacteria and filamentous fungi, the number of cellulolytic and lipolytic bacteria and fungi, respiratory activity, the activity of dehydrogenases, ß-glucosidase, and lipase, and the activity of fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis. The results indicated that the wastes exerted a generally positive effect on the microbiological, biochemical, and enzymatic activities analysed in the reclaimed ground sown with both Trifolium hybridum and Dactylis glomerata. There was a negative effect on the total number of bacteria with low nutritional requirements, the number of cellulolytic bacteria, the number of lipolytic fungi, and the ß-glucosidase and lipase activities only in some objects. The strength of the effects was dependent on the type and dose of the waste and on the plant species. The strongest impact on the analysed parameters was exerted by the manure, sewage sludge, and spent mushroom substrate, whereas the addition of sawdust was found to be the least beneficial. The higher dose of manure and the lower dose of spent mushroom substrate were the most beneficial doses of the wastes. The number of lipolytic bacteria and cellulolytic bacteria and fungi, as well as the fluorescein hydrolytic activity followed by the activity of dehydrogenases, ß-glucosidase, and lipase were the most sensitive parameters.