Comparative Soil Microbiome Analysis under Chemical and Organic Fertilizer Treatments Using 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

Soil fertility degradation remains a major constraint to sustainable agricultural productivity in Bangladesh, where intensive farming practices rely heavily on chemical fertilizers. This study presents a comparative analysis of soil microbial communities under chemical and organic fertilizer treatments using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to elucidate their implications for soil fertility and sustainable agriculture. High-throughput sequencing revealed distinct microbial community structures and functional potentials between fertilizer regimes. Organically fertilized soils exhibited higher microbial diversity and enrichment of beneficial taxa associated with nutrient cycling, including nitrogen fixation, organic matter decomposition, and phosphorus solubilization. In contrast, chemically fertilized soils showed reduced microbial diversity and a dominance of taxa linked to nutrient imbalance and soil stress. These microbial shifts suggest that organic fertilization enhances soil biological activity, improves nutrient availability, and promotes long-term soil health. Integrating microbiome-informed fertilizer management strategies could reduce dependency on chemical inputs, enhance crop productivity, and contribute to environmentally sustainable agriculture in the region.