OICC Press International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture 2251-7715 13 5 2024 10 28 Assessing microbial biodiversity in oil palm seedlings using oil palm waste compost mixed media 10.57647/ijrowa-m2gt-yd26 EN Siti Suliza Salamat Department of Crop Production, Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Bag No. 3. 90509 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia and Department of Biological Functions and Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1937-1854 Mohd Zulkhairi Mohd Yusoff Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Scences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia AND Laboratory of Biopolymer and Derivatives, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6787-9350 Mohd Ali Hassan Hassan Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Scences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5073-1536 Mohd Huzairi Mohd Zainuddin Laboratory of Sustainable Animal Production and Biodiversity, Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7900-9678 Yoshihito Shirai Department of Biological Functions and Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2593-4630 Ahmad Husni Mohd Hanif Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Mohd Shahkhirat Norizan Department of Agronomy and Smart Farming, FGV R&D Sdn. Bhd. PPP Tun Razak, 27000 Jerantut Pahang, Malaysia Fatini Mat Arisah Department of Bioprocess Technology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Scences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3764-9482 Mohammed Abdillah Ahmad Farid Department of Biological Functions and Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5408-2214 Toshinari Maeda Department of Biological Functions and Engineering, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196, Japan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6219-9110 Mohd Noor Mat Isa Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute, National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia, Jalan Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6426-9832 Mohd Faizal Abu Bakar Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute, National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia, Jalan Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3469-0597 Journal Article 2024 10 28 Purpose: The oil palm nursery plays a pivotal role in ensuring optimal replanting materials for sustained productivity. However, conventional practices that rely exclusively on inorganic fertilizers can degrade soil over time, highlighting the need to reassess planting materials. This study examines the impact of incorporating compost into soil media on oil palm seedling development in primary nurseries. Method: The study compared microbial biodiversity in soil media with compost amendments by employing DNA sequencing to assess microbial communities. The analysis focused on bacterial species richness and the prevalence of key phyla, including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, and others. Results: The compost-amended media (T2) demonstrated significantly higher microbial biodiversity, with 60,769 sequences compared to 45,741 sequences in media containing only soil and inorganic fertilizer (T1). This compost-enriched media notably increased bacterial species richness, particularly benefiting nutrient-cycling bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. While Acidobacteria showed sensitivity to compost, other phyla like Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, and Chloroflexi remained stable under the nutrient dynamics of elevated organic content. Streptomyces, known for its metabolic versatility, dominated across all media compositions. The co-occurrence of Bacteroidetes and Acidobacteria in compost-treated soils suggested pH stability that supports plant growth and ecosystem resilience. Conclusion: Integrating compost into nursery media significantly enhances microbial biodiversity and dynamics, particularly favoring beneficial nutrient-cycling bacteria. This suggests that compost amendments can serve as a viable pathway for improving oil palm nursery practices, promoting sustainable soil management, and ensuring long-term productivity. Research Highlights Oil palm nurseries rely on inorganic fertilizers, risking soil degradation. Incorporating compost can improve soil health by introducing beneficial microbes. Compost-enriched media (T2) had 33% more diversity than inorganic fertilizer (T1). Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria thrived in compost, highlighting nutrient cycling. Bacteroidetes and Acidobacteria indicated pH stability, promoting plant growth.