Characterization of Structural and Functional Changes in Bacterial Communities During Enzyme Fermentation.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Microbiology
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Soil health is crucial for agriculture, and microbial communities play a vital role.
• Enzyme applications are emerging as a strategy to manage soil problems.
• Characterizing microbial communities during fermentation is complex due to environmental influences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze bacterial community structure and functional traits during compost fermentation with and without enzyme addition.
• To compare the effects of exogenous enzymes on microbial communities in liquid fermentation versus compost.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze bacterial community structure.
• Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database was utilized to identify microbial functional traits.
• Compost and liquid fermentation samples were analyzed at middle and late stages.

Main Results:

• Exogenous enzymes reduced microbial species in liquid fermentation, leading to a dominance of Proteobacteria (70%).
• In compost, bacterial abundance increased with fermentation time, showing uniform phyla distribution.
• Key metabolic pathways identified were related to carbohydrate, amino acid, and cofactor metabolism.

Conclusions:

• Exogenous enzyme supplementation significantly alters microbial community succession and metabolic functions in both liquid and compost fermentation.
• Enzyme application provides a theoretical basis for improving traditional compost and agricultural practices.
• Understanding microbial responses to enzymes is key for sustainable agriculture.