Organic amendments alter urban soil microbiomes and improve crop quality

Urban Farm DB summary

A greenhouse trial was conducted in urban agricultural soil from the San Francisco Bay Area, USA, to investigate the effects of organic amendments derived from local municipal waste products on the soil microbiome, tomato productivity, and quality. Liquid food waste hydrolysate and mixed herbivore waste compost increased microbial abundance in the soil compared to mineral fertilizer. While mineral-fertilized tomato plants generally had higher productivity and yields, plants treated with the hydrolysate and mixed herbivore waste compost showed enhanced fruit soluble sugar content (°Brix).