Soil microbiome transfer method comparison

In this study we compare the microbial communities that are transferred from a natural soil to a commercial peat moss potting mix microcosm using common soil microbiome transplant methods: direct soil transfers of different concentrations (0.1, 1, and 5% v/v) and a soil wash (microbial fraction equivalent to the 5% v/v direct soil transfer. These methods are commonly used in soil microbiome transplant experiments. We analyzed the microbial communities using 16S rRNA gene and fungal ITS amplicon sequencing after 3 weeks in incubation in the potting mix. The initial community in the inoculant soil and the community in the soil wash extract were also characterized.