Yang et al. (2025): Synergistic Effects of a Microbial Amendment and Crushed Basalt: Soil Geochemical and Microbial Responses

Yun-Ya Yang, Clifton P Bueno de Mesquita, Corey R Lawrence, Philip D Weyman, Daniel Dores, Tania Timmermann, Noah Fierer, Gonzalo A Fuenzalida-Meriz, IN: CDRxiv (Preprint), https://doi.org/10.70212/cdrxiv.2025369.v1

Over geologic timescales, the natural weathering of silicate minerals in soils and regolith regulates atmospheric CO₂. Although this process is slow relative to anthropogenic emissions, several strategies have been proposed to accelerate this process for climate mitigation. These include the application of finely-ground silicate rock to increase mineral surface area (enhanced weathering, EW) and the use of microbes that catalyze mineral dissolution and CO₂ biomineralization (microbial carbon dioxide mineralization, MCM). While both approaches show promise, their combined application has rarely been tested. Here, the authors examined how soil chemistry and bacterial communities respond to a basalt feedstock rich in silicate minerals, a Bacillus subtilis strain (MP1) previously shown to enhance weathering, and their combination. In a 91-day soybean mesocosm experiment with slightly acidic soil (pH 6.6), MP1 persisted where applied, indicating successful inoculation via seed treatment.

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