ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Revitalizing Rose Soils with In-situ
Vermicomposting: Harnessing Beverage
Processing Waste for Enhanced
Soil Fertility
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1
College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture And Forestry University, China
2
College of Tea and Food Science,Wuyi University, China
3
College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture And Forestry University, China
Submission date: 2023-09-25
Final revision date: 2023-11-06
Acceptance date: 2023-11-28
Online publication date: 2024-05-23
Publication date: 2024-06-07
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2024;33(4):4633-4645
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ABSTRACT
Composting, widely utilized for organic waste resource utilization and proven to positively impact
soil fertility, has seen limited research on the use of beverage processing waste, such as coffee grounds
and oolong tea waste, as composting substrates. Continuous cultivation of roses can deplete nutrients
and disrupt microbial communities in the soil, yet no studies have explored composting techniques for
improving soil fertility in these soils. This study investigated the effects of in-situ vermicomposting
using different organic materials (coffee grounds in T1, camphor leaves in T2, and oolong tea waste in
T3) on the physicochemical properties and bacterial community structure of continuously cultivated
rose soils, which including control groups with continuously cropped soil and no additives. Results
showed that the soil organic matter, available nitrogen, available potassium, as well as alkaline protease
and cellulase in the soil inoculated with different composite matrices increased compared to the control
group. No significant differences were observed in the soil bacteria among the treatment groups
at the phylum level. At the genus level, Cellvibrio, Algoriphagus, and Flavobacterium were dominant
in the T1, T2, and T3 treatment groups, respectively. Composting with these substrates improved soil
physical and chemical properties, increased soil enzyme activity, and led to changes in soil bacterial
community diversity. Oolong tea waste had the most significant effect on improving soil physical
and chemical properties, while coffee grounds had the greatest impact on soil microbial abundance. Thus, the conversion of organic waste into stable compost products not only improves soil fertility but
also combines waste management and resource recovery.