Benefits of tobacco stalk compost in tobacco cultivation: Improving soil health, microbial function, crop yield, and economic viability

Abstract The intensification of global agriculture has led to excessive fertilizer use, posing significant challenges to sustainable agricultural development. Organic fertilizers, rich in organic matter, improve soil structure by enhancing aeration and water retention, making them widely adopted for cultivating economic crops such as tobacco. Despite the rich organic matter content of tobacco stalks, their natural decomposition can contribute to long‐term soil acidification, resulting in their underutilization as organic fertilizers. Here, the present study conducted field experiments to assess the feasibility of using composted tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L. ‘CB‐1′) stalks to enhance tobacco production. The analysis focused on soil nutrient levels, plant agronomic traits, microbial community composition and function, and associated production costs, offering a comprehensive evaluation of this approach's potential to improve sustainability in tobacco cultivation. As a results, tobacco stalk compost (T2) significantly elevated soil pH and nitrogen levels compared to traditional organic fertilizers (T1). Agronomic assessments revealed superior growth performance in T2, with single‐leaf area increasing by 11.0% compared to T1, respectively. Economic output value analysis indicated that T2 achieved 13.5% higher profitability than T1. Microbial community analysis showed enhanced diversity and stability under compost treatment, accompanied by proliferation of unique taxa and increased abundance of microbiome involved in nitrogen and sulfur cycling. Additionally, T2 exhibited greater cost‐effectiveness, reducing production costs by 171.1 Chinese yuan (RMB)/t compared to T1. Overall, our findings demonstrate that T2 not only improves soil ecological health and crop productivity but also serves as an economically viable alternative to T1.