Long-term application of compost influences soil and root microbial communities under diverse rice-based cropping systems

Soil microbial communities play a major role in improving and maintaining soil fertility and crop productivity and are considered as most sensitive indicator of soil health. In rice-based cropping systems where there is increased mining of nutrients, application of organic fertilizers (compost, vermicompost, etc.) helps in maintaining soil health in a long run. Long-term application of these fertilizers increases soil organic carbon, major and minor nutrients, soil structure, microbial diversity, abundance, and activities. However, limited information is available on how compost application affects soil and root microbial communities under diverse rice-based cropping systems. In this chapter, a comprehensive information on to what extent compost application affects soil and root microbial community, abundance, and activities in various rice-based cropping systems will be discussed.