Coffee mucilage impact on young coffee seedlings and soil microorganisms

Abstract

A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out to assess the effects of fermented coffee mucilage applied as mulch together with maize leaves on the growth of young coffee plants of two different varieties and on soil microbial biomass indices. The coffee variety Catuai required 32% more water per g plant biomass than the variety Yellow Caturra, but had a 49% lower leaf area, 34% less shoot and 46% less root biomass. Maize and mucilage amendments did not affect leaf area, shoot and root yield, or the N concentration in shoot and root dry matter. The amendments always reduced the water use efficiency values, but this reduction was only significant in the maize+mucilage‐14 (= 14 g mucilage pot−1) treatment. Soil pH significantly increased from 4.30 in the control to 4.63 in the maize+mucilage‐14 treatment. Microbial biomass C increased by 18.5 µg g−1 soil, microbial biomass N by 3.1 µg g−1 soil, and ergosterol by 0.21 µg g−1 soil per g mucilage added pot−1. The presence of mucilage significantly reduced the microbial biomass‐C/N ratio from a mean of 13.4 in the control and maize treatments to 9.3, without addition rate and coffee variety effects. The application of non‐composted mucilage is recommended in areas where drought leads to economic losses and in coffee plantations on low fertility soils like Oxisols, where Al toxicity is a major constraint.

Impact of Interaction between Biochar and Soil Microorganisms on Growth of Chinese Cabbage by Increasing Soil Fertility

“…2023, 13, 12545 2 of 14 Soil microbe is an important participant in soil biochemical process that includes oxidation, nitrification, ammonisation, nitrogen fixation, and sulphuration [9]. It promotes the decomposition of the soil's organic matter and nutrient transformation that has a direct impact on soil fertility [10]. Biochar is a new soil improvement material that can change the number and structure of microbial populations in soil and enhance its function.…”