Enrichment of urban waste compost samples allows the isolation of highly efficient phosphate solubilizing bacteria
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Date
2026
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Publisher
PUCE - Ibarra
Abstract
Phosphorus plays a fundamental role in plant growth, development, and defense against pathogens and abiotic stress. However, most soil phosphorus is presented in forms unavailable to plants, thereby reducing crop yield and threatening global food security. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) have emerged as a promising strategy to improve the productivity and sustainability of agroecosystems, although many reported isolates show limited solubilization efficiency, highlighting the need for new isolation approaches. In this study, five isolates identified as Pantoea cypripedii and one isolate assigned to the genus Klebsiella were obtained for waste compost samples through an enrichment process and evaluated for phosphate solubilization efficiency. All the isolates showed high solubilization index (SI) values, ranging from 4.06 to 5.38 in 12 days, and high soluble phosphorus production, ranging from 584.15 to 732.12 mg/L after 5 days of incubation. This approach enabled the rapid isolation of highly efficient PSB with potential for biofertilizer development. However, the strong dominance of a single genus raises the possibility that the enrichment process may have caused the underrepresentation of other functional taxa. In addition to meeting the quality standards for their application in crop soils, the use of urban waste compost used in this study underscores the importance of these waste management strategies in urban settings for minimizing environmental impact.
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Keywords
Phosphorus, Sustainable agriculture, Agricultural microbiology