Experimental Influence of Food Waste Fermentation Broth on the Soil Quality in a Loess Hilly Area

Abstract

Loess is widely distributed in northwestern China. Due to the arid climate and rainstorm erosion, lack of nutrients and microorganisms, as well as severe salinization limits the ecosystem carrying capacity of loess soil, which has become one of the major causes of regional land desertification. The fermentation broth derived from food waste usually contains substantial organic acids and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and it has the advantages of being easily produced industrially and applied as fertilizer. Hence, this broth has the potential to become a soil amendment for loess soils. This work studied the Lanzhou loess, which is a typical soil of the Loess Plateau of China, fertilized with fermentation broth for the evaluation of physicochemical properties and microbial analyses. After the application of the broth amendment, the total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, and organic matter content increased by 363%, 577%, 308%, and 204%, respectively. After planting grass, including Halogeton arachnoideus Moq. and Medicago sativa L., the comprehensive soil fertility level was further improved and the total salt content of the soil was decreased by 2.3 g·kg-1 and 1.2 g·kg-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the fermentation broth promoted the growth of microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea, which increased by 22 times, and fungi by 8.3 times. Therefore, food waste fermentation broth is conducive to further forming plant-microorganisms symbiosis, improving the ecological environment quality of loess soils.