Recovery, Identification, and Presumptive Agricultural Application of Soil Bacteria

Conventional and organic agriculture can both cause soil microbial community structure (SMCS) destruction, infertility, and abandonment. The application of soil productivity-improving biofertilizers is a sustainable practice that requires holistic knowledge, including complex biointeractions, diverse microbial metabolism, and culture requirements, the last of which rely on methodology and technology. In this study, a holistic culture-based and meta-analysis approach was employed to explore pristine and domesticated soils for presumptive plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria. Various soil samples were logistically acquired and processed using enrichment and heat alternatives. Morphologically diverse isolates were streak-purified and analyzed for 16S rRNA bacterial identification. Meta-analysis of PGP bacteria in domesticated environments was conducted using Google Search and NCBI PubMed. Soil fertility was analyzed for the pH and nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium (NPK) contents using biochemical tests. Notably, 7 genera and 15 species were differentially recovered, with Bacillus being the most prevalent and diverse in species. Conversely, Aeromonas, Lactobacillus, Lelliottia, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus were found only in pristine soil. While soil pH was consistent in all pristine soil samples, NPK contents ranged widely across the pristine (i.e., P/K) and domesticated samples (i.e., N/P/K). These findings could enhance biofertilizer SMCS, function, and effectiveness in the agricultural productivity needed to feed the expanding population.