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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbe and Virus Interactions with Plants
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1421647

Assessing the efficacy of natural soil biotin on soil quality, microbial diversity, and Rhododendron simsii growth for sustainable landscape architecture

Provisionally accepted
Zhiyan Teng Zhiyan Teng 1Sheng Li Sheng Li 2Lan Chen Lan Chen 1Kexuan Pan Kexuan Pan 1Dandan Liu Dandan Liu 1Zaiyuan Gu Zaiyuan Gu 3Li Huang Li Huang 1Yunwen Chen Yunwen Chen 1*
  • 1 Zhejiang University, hangzhou, China
  • 2 zhejiang A&F university, hangzhou, China
  • 3 Aupro (Hangzhou) Ecological Industry Operation Co., Ltd, hangzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Fertilization exerts a profound influence on soil quality and its sustainable utilization. In urban garden maintenance, the prevalent use of inorganic fertilizers has been associated with ecological concerns. Conversely, organic fertilizers, though beneficial, often exhibit slow efficacy and high costs.Biofertilizers, characterized by their eco-friendly attributes and low carbon footprint, play a multifaceted role in supporting plant growth. Thus, optimizing the application of biofertilizers and investigating their potential as substitutes for inorganic and organic counterparts remain imperative for sustainable landscape architecture. While prior investigations have primarily concentrated on fruit trees, vegetables, and medicinal plants, few have been on ornamental plant species. In this study, the Rhododendron plants Azalea hybrid 'Carnation' was selected to assess the efficacy of a novel microbial fertilizer termed 'natural soil biotin'. Changes in soil properties, microbial diversity, enzyme activity, plant morphology, and physiological parameters were measured following fertilizer application to compare the impacts of various fertilization strategies. The results showed that the combined use of natural soil biotin effectively enhanced soil properties, mitigated the influence of both inorganic and organic fertilizers on soil pH, and improved the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. Additionally, this mixed application significantly elevated the activities of urease and sucrase in Rhododendron plants, thereby promoting their growth, development, and resistance to stress. Therefore, the mixed application of natural soil biotin significantly improved the efficiency of utilizing inorganic and organic fertilizers, leading to enhanced economic and environmental benefits in Rhododendron cultivation and laying a foundation for soil improvement and ecological restoration.

    Keywords: natural soil biotin, sustainable landscape architecture, Soil quality improvement, Rhododendron simsii, Soil microbial diversity, enzyme activity

    Received: 22 Apr 2024; Accepted: 19 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Teng, Li, Chen, Pan, Liu, Gu, Huang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yunwen Chen, Zhejiang University, hangzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.