Cyanobacteria are promising alternatives to chemical fertilizers for managing nutrients and preserving soil function. In this study, two pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculations with the cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica on an arable Mollisol from the U.S. Upper Midwest and growth of spring wheat. Experiment 1 evaluated surface soil nutrient and microbial dynamics at early stages of wheat development. Experiment 2 evaluated the potential of microalgal inoculations (A. cylindrica and/or Chlamydomonas sp.) to replace urea and measured plant growth and soil parameters at three depths at harvest. Experiment 1 revealed inoculation increased surface soil soluble organic carbon (SolC), microbial biomass carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), mineral N, available phosphorus (P), and microbial activity. At day 42 after sowing, wheat plant N was higher in inoculated than non-inoculated soil, and the nitrate/nitrite level in inoculated soil significantly decreased in the presence of plants. In Experiment 2, inoculation had greater effects on surface soil than deeper soil depths for SolC, microbial biomass C and N, mineral N, and available-P. Grain yield was not statistically different in treatments with 100 % N from urea, 75 % N from A. cylindrica plus 25 % N-urea, and 100 % N from an algal mixture. Equivalent grain protein was achieved only when 25 % N from urea was replaced with N from A. cylindrica, highlighting the need for optimizing inoculation timing and plant N uptake. These results support the beneficial role of cyanobacteria-based inoculations for soil quality and plant growth, and as renewable resources for agricultural systems.