Unlocking water potential in drylands: Quicklime and fly ash enhance soil microbiome structure, ecological networks and function in acid mine drainage water-irrigated agriculture.

ABSTRACT: In water-stressed regions, treated acid mine drainage (AMD) water for irrigated agriculture is a potential solution to address freshwater scarcity. However, a significant knowledge gap exists on the short and long-term effects of treated AMD water on soil health. This study used high-throughput Illumina sequencing and predictive metagenomic profiling to investigate the impact of untreated AMD (AMD), quicklime- (A1Q and A2Q) and quicklime and fly ash-treated AMD water (AFQ) irrigation on soil bacterial diversity, co-occurrence networks and function. Results showed that untreated AMD water significantly increased soil acidity, electrical conductivity (EC), sulfate (SO₄^2-), and heavy metals (HM), including reduced microbial diversity, disrupted interaction networks, and

SUBMITTER: Munyai R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10963335 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature