Cultivating Dictyophora indusiata with Cenchrus fungigraminus and seafood mushroom spent substrate enhanced soil nutrient accumulation and microbial community stabilisation

The traditional cultivation of Dictyophora indusiata mostly uses bamboo as a material, which is expensive, limited by region, and negatively affects bamboo forest ecosystems. Herein, field experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of cultivating D. indusiata under various treatments. A multidisciplinary analytical approach incorporating one-way analysis of variance, Redundancy analysis, and partial least squares path modelling were employed to systematically assess cultivation impacts across multiple biological matrices. The evaluation framework encompassed fruiting bodies, soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, phenolic acids, and microbial dynamics. All treatments significantly improved soil fertility, with the cultivation of Cenchrus fungigraminus and sawdust combined with seafood mushroom spent mushroom substrate (SMS) as padding exhibiting the most substantial increased in total nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, organic matter, and organic carbon compared to that before cultivation. Soil enzyme activity associated with D. indusiata cultivation increased S-ACP and decreased S-CAT and S-UE levels. The total phenolic acid content in the soil increased following D. indusiata cultivation. Moreover, a single application of 25 mg/L ferulic acid, 20 mg/L p -hydroxybenzoic acid, or 250 mg/L p -coumaric acid promoted D. indusiata mycelial growth and enhanced the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Cultivating D. indusiata also induced changes in both abundance and structure within soil microbial communities. Reductions in the abundance of beneficial bacteria, along with predictions related to microbial functions, occurred more gradually and stably within the SMS treatments. In conclusion, microbial changes were gradual within the SMS-treated, indicating that SMS application can stabilise the structure of soil microbial communities. • Applying Cenchrus fungigraminus during Dictyophora indusiata cultivation improves soil fertility. • C. fungigraminus and SMS as cultivation materials can stabilise the soil environment. • D. indusiata growth increased phenolic acid levels and pathogenic fungal abundance. • D. indusiata mycelial growth was inhibited under Petri dish inoculation conditions. • SMS mitigates the effect of phenolic acid on soil microbial community abundance.