Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal
Reducing the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) in agriculture while maintaining crop productivity is the main challenge facing sub-Saharan African family farming systems. The use of effective microorganisms (EM) is among the various innovative approaches for minimizing chemical inputs...
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2025-05-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Plant Biology |
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| author | Alexandre Mahougnon Aurel Zoumman Paula Fernandes Mariama Gueye Clémence Chaintreuil Laurent Cournac Aboubacry Kane Komi Assigbetse |
| author_facet | Alexandre Mahougnon Aurel Zoumman Paula Fernandes Mariama Gueye Clémence Chaintreuil Laurent Cournac Aboubacry Kane Komi Assigbetse |
| author_sort | Alexandre Mahougnon Aurel Zoumman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reducing the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) in agriculture while maintaining crop productivity is the main challenge facing sub-Saharan African family farming systems. The use of effective microorganisms (EM) is among the various innovative approaches for minimizing chemical inputs and the environmental impact of agricultural production and protecting soil health while enhancing crop yields and improving food security. This study sought to characterize the microbial biodiversity of local beneficial microorganisms (BMs) products from locally fermented forest litter and investigate their ability to enhance tomato plant growth and development. Beneficial microorganisms (BMs) were obtained by anaerobic fermentation of forest litter collected in four agroecological regions of Senegal mixed with sugarcane molasses and various types of carbon sources (groundnut shells, millet stovers, and rice bran in different proportions). The microbial community composition was analyzed using next-generation rDNA sequencing, and their effects on tomato growth traits were tested in greenhouse experiments. Results show that regardless of the litter geographical collection site, the dominant bacterial taxa in the BMs belonged to the phyla <i>Firmicutes</i> (27.75–97.06%) and <i>Proteobacteria</i> (2.93–72.24%). Within these groups, the most prevalent classes were <i>Bacilli</i> (14.41–89.82%), <i>α-proteobacteria</i> (2.83–72.09%), and <i>Clostridia</i> (0.024–13.34%). Key genera included <i>Lactobacillus</i> (13–65.83%), <i>Acetobacter</i> (8.91–72.09%), <i>Sporolactobacillus</i> (1.40–43.35%), and <i>Clostridium</i> (0.08–13.34%). Fungal taxa were dominated by the classes <i>Leotiomycetes</i> and <i>Sordariomycetes</i>, with a prevalence of the acidophilic genus <i>Acidea</i>. Although microbial diversity is relatively uniform across samples, the relative abundance of microbial taxa is influenced by the litter’s origin. This is illustrated by the PCoA analysis, which clusters microbial communities based on their litter source. Greenhouse experiments revealed that five BMs (DK-M, DK-G, DK-GM, NB-R, and NB-M) significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) enhanced tomato growth traits, including plant height (+10.75% for DK-G and +9.44% for NB-R), root length (+56.84–62.20%), root volume (+84.32–97.35%), root surface area (+53.16–56.72%), and both fresh and dry shoot biomass when compared to untreated controls. This study revealed that forest-fermented litter products (BMs), produced using litter collected from various regions in Senegal, contain beneficial microorganisms known as plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), which enhanced tomato growth. These findings highlight the potential of locally produced BMs as an agroecological alternative to inorganic inputs, particularly within Senegal’s family farming systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-68fcdc1292694151aa76d847b9c2aa65 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2037-0164 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
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| series | International Journal of Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-68fcdc1292694151aa76d847b9c2aa652025-08-20T03:27:25ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Plant Biology2037-01642025-05-011625510.3390/ijpb16020055Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in SenegalAlexandre Mahougnon Aurel Zoumman0Paula Fernandes1Mariama Gueye2Clémence Chaintreuil3Laurent Cournac4Aboubacry Kane5Komi Assigbetse6Faculté des Sciences and Techniques (FST), Département de Biologie Végétale, Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar 10700, SenegalLaboratoire Mixte International Intensification Ecologique des Sols Cultivés en Afrique de l’Ouest (IESOL), Dakar 10700, SenegalLaboratoire Mixte International Intensification Ecologique des Sols Cultivés en Afrique de l’Ouest (IESOL), Dakar 10700, SenegalLaboratoire Commun de Microbiologie (LCM), IRD-ISRA-UCAD Bel-Air Center, Dakar 10700, SenegalEco&Sols, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, 34060 Montpellier, FranceFaculté des Sciences and Techniques (FST), Département de Biologie Végétale, Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), Dakar 10700, SenegalLaboratoire Mixte International Intensification Ecologique des Sols Cultivés en Afrique de l’Ouest (IESOL), Dakar 10700, SenegalReducing the use of chemical inputs (fertilizers, pesticides) in agriculture while maintaining crop productivity is the main challenge facing sub-Saharan African family farming systems. The use of effective microorganisms (EM) is among the various innovative approaches for minimizing chemical inputs and the environmental impact of agricultural production and protecting soil health while enhancing crop yields and improving food security. This study sought to characterize the microbial biodiversity of local beneficial microorganisms (BMs) products from locally fermented forest litter and investigate their ability to enhance tomato plant growth and development. Beneficial microorganisms (BMs) were obtained by anaerobic fermentation of forest litter collected in four agroecological regions of Senegal mixed with sugarcane molasses and various types of carbon sources (groundnut shells, millet stovers, and rice bran in different proportions). The microbial community composition was analyzed using next-generation rDNA sequencing, and their effects on tomato growth traits were tested in greenhouse experiments. Results show that regardless of the litter geographical collection site, the dominant bacterial taxa in the BMs belonged to the phyla <i>Firmicutes</i> (27.75–97.06%) and <i>Proteobacteria</i> (2.93–72.24%). Within these groups, the most prevalent classes were <i>Bacilli</i> (14.41–89.82%), <i>α-proteobacteria</i> (2.83–72.09%), and <i>Clostridia</i> (0.024–13.34%). Key genera included <i>Lactobacillus</i> (13–65.83%), <i>Acetobacter</i> (8.91–72.09%), <i>Sporolactobacillus</i> (1.40–43.35%), and <i>Clostridium</i> (0.08–13.34%). Fungal taxa were dominated by the classes <i>Leotiomycetes</i> and <i>Sordariomycetes</i>, with a prevalence of the acidophilic genus <i>Acidea</i>. Although microbial diversity is relatively uniform across samples, the relative abundance of microbial taxa is influenced by the litter’s origin. This is illustrated by the PCoA analysis, which clusters microbial communities based on their litter source. Greenhouse experiments revealed that five BMs (DK-M, DK-G, DK-GM, NB-R, and NB-M) significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) enhanced tomato growth traits, including plant height (+10.75% for DK-G and +9.44% for NB-R), root length (+56.84–62.20%), root volume (+84.32–97.35%), root surface area (+53.16–56.72%), and both fresh and dry shoot biomass when compared to untreated controls. This study revealed that forest-fermented litter products (BMs), produced using litter collected from various regions in Senegal, contain beneficial microorganisms known as plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs), which enhanced tomato growth. These findings highlight the potential of locally produced BMs as an agroecological alternative to inorganic inputs, particularly within Senegal’s family farming systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/55local beneficial microorganismsplant growthtomatoagroecologyfamily farmingSenegal |
| spellingShingle | Alexandre Mahougnon Aurel Zoumman Paula Fernandes Mariama Gueye Clémence Chaintreuil Laurent Cournac Aboubacry Kane Komi Assigbetse Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal International Journal of Plant Biology local beneficial microorganisms plant growth tomato agroecology family farming Senegal |
| title | Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal |
| title_full | Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal |
| title_short | Exploring Microbial Diversity in Forest Litter-Based Fermented Bioproducts and Their Effects on Tomato (<i>Solanum lycopersicum</i> L.) Growth in Senegal |
| title_sort | exploring microbial diversity in forest litter based fermented bioproducts and their effects on tomato i solanum lycopersicum i l growth in senegal |
| topic | local beneficial microorganisms plant growth tomato agroecology family farming Senegal |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/55 |
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