¿Do Mountain Microorganisms (MM) Really Work as a Biofertilization Strategy? A Biosystems Engineering Approach

Abstract

The use of microorganisms for engineering applications, in particular from a context of tropical biosystems engineering, has been useful to quantify important variables that are needed to understand the dynamics of edaphic systems in these areas. The current study is framed within those efforts and has been designed to document the potential of mountain microorganisms for soil biofertilization activities by using a standard experiment with two short-cycle plants. For that, an experiment including three biofertilization irrigation treatments, associated with three retention times in a bioreactor, were selected and compared with a control that was irrigated only with water. After harvesting, a series of biological, chemical, structural, and agronomic tests were conducted on both the soil and the cultivated plants to determine potential differences in the effect of the experimental treatments. Results indicated that a bioreactor retention time, close to two weeks, was the best treatment in terms of positive and significant impact on the biological activity, soil chemical properties, and quality of crops. Such significant differences seem to be related with a more active soil biosystem for the associated treatment. This demonstrates that biofertilization with mountain microorganisms works; but it also suggests that a series of engineering parameters should be studied to optimize such low cost and sustainable fertilization method.