Cultivating Biodiversity to Harvest Sustainability: Vermicomposting and Inoculation of Microorganisms for Soil Preservation and Resilience

Abstract

Based on the concepts of circular economy and bioeconomy, the reuse of agrifood residues through vermicomposting can help solve serious environmental problems such as soil contamination and degradation, erosion and climate change. In this sense, the objective was to identify, quantify and analyze the physical, chemical, hormonal, amino acid content and microbial biodiversity of three formulations of vermicompost, with and without inoculation of microorganisms from native forest and commercial formulation, aiming at the production of an organic fertilizer rich in microorganisms for use in sustainable production systems. As a result, the vermicompost formulations presented values higher than the minimum requirements stipulated by Brazilian legislation for the registration of class A composite organic fertilizer. There is a significant difference between the vermicomposts, in the parameters related to the content of phosphorus, auxin, tryptophan and organic matter, as well as the relation between humic and fulvic acids. Bacillus sp. and Trichoderma sp. were also influenced by the type of vermicompost formulation. In addition, inoculation with microorganisms from native forest promoted an increase in biodiversity, in which the presence of Actinomyces sp. and Azotobacter chrooccocum contribute to the reduction in the levels of heavy metals in the compost. It is concluded that vermicomposting is a potential tool in the reuse of agri-food residues, with expressive microbial diversity that can influence plant growth, suppression of pathogens, minimize or reduce the effects of biotic and abiotic stresses on plant production, in addition to contributing to maintenance of soil biodiversity, integral fertility and resilience to climate change.