Artificial humic acid and fulvic acid for sustainable soil improvement: Promoting humification and crop growth

Land use changes and agricultural intensification have significantly depleted natural humus reserves, severely impacting crop production. Our team developed a method for producing artificial humus from lignocellulosic waste, which was recognized among the IUPAC Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2021. This approach has been proven to enable the utilization of agricultural waste, improve soil quality, and boost agricultural productivity. This research serves as preliminary foundational research for the large-scale application of artificial humus. In this study, the differential effects of two core components of artificial humus (artificial humic acid (A-HA) and artificial fulvic acid (A-FA)) on the soil humification process were explored combined with fluorescence spectroscopy, high-throughput sequencing, and metabolic pathway analysis. The promoting effect of soil treated with A-HA and A-FA for 180 days on crop growth by seedling growth experiment. The results showed that A-HA and A-FA significantly content of humic-like and fulvic-like substances as well as soluble microbial byproducts by regulating rare microbial species and stimulated bacterial metabolism. The soil amended with A-HA and A-FA for 180 days promoted the growth of corn seedlings and significantly enhanced the photosynthetic pigment content. This study provides insights into the effects and mechanisms of two core components of straw-derived artificial humus (A-HA and A-FA) on soil humification and crop production enhancement.