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Volume 15
Issue 22
10.3390/agriculture15222388
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Regenerative Farming with Organic Fertilizer and Biologics: A New Approach to Enhancing Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Quality

by
Rodrigo Silva Alves
1,
Luana Corrêa Silva
1,
Philippe Solano Toledo Silva
1,
Franco Monici Fabrino
1,
Paulo Paschoalotto Marques
1,
Orivaldo Arf
2,
Adônis Moreira
3,
Fernando Shintate Galindo
4,
Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho
5,
Arun Dilipkumar Jani
6,
Gian Franco Capra
7,
Flávio Henrique Silveira Rabêlo
8,
Douglas Guelfi
9 and
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira
1,*
1
Department of Soil Science, School of Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences, São Paulo State University, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil
2
Department of Crop Science, Food Technology, and Socioeconomics, School of Engineering, São Paulo State University, Av. Brasil Sul No. 56, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
3
Department of Plant Mineral Nutrition, Embrapa Soybean, Rodovia Carlos João Strass s/n, Orlando Amaral Access Road, Warta District, Londrina 86085-981, PR, Brazil
4
Department of Crop Production, School of Agricultural and Technological Sciences, São Paulo State University, Rod. Comandante João Ribeiro de Barros, km 651, Bairro das Antas, Dracena 17915-899, SP, Brazil
5
Department of Plant Protection, Agricultural Engineering, and Soils, School of Engineering, São Paulo State University, Av. Brasil Sul No. 56, Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
6
Department of Biology and Chemistry, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA 93955, USA
7
Department of Architecture, Design, and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Bionaturalistic Campus, Via Piandanna No. 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
8
Department of Soil Science, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Av. Pádua Dias 11, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil
9
Department of Soil Science, Federal University of Lavras, Trevo Rotatório Professor Edmir Sá Santos, s/n, Lavras 37203–202, MG, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agriculture 2025, 15(22), 2388; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222388
Submission received: 6 October 2025 / Revised: 12 November 2025 / Accepted: 13 November 2025 / Published: 19 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fertilization Strategies for Improving Fertilizer Use Efficiency)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Composted sewage sludge (CSS) applications and the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are emerging as sustainable alternatives in tropical agriculture. However, no studies have validated the combined use of these practices. This study aimed to evaluate the residual effect of three CSS applications on soil fertility (0.0–0.2 m and 0.2–0.4 m layer), plant nutrition, morphological and yield components, and grain yield and quality of soybean, with and without co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium japonicum combined with Azospirillum brasilense, under a no-tillage system (NTS) in the Cerrado region. The field experiment was conducted over a six-year period in Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. This research was evaluated during the 2022/23 first cropping season. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates, arranged in a 5 × 2 + 1 factorial scheme, consisting of five cumulative CSS rates (0.0, 15.0, 22.5, 30.0, and 37.5 Mg ha−1, wet basis), with and without co-inoculation of A. brasilense, plus an additional control treatment with conventional mineral fertilization (CMF). The residual effect of the cumulative CSS rates improved soil fertility in both layers, similarly to CMF, regardless of co-inoculation. Co-inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Azospirillum brasilense did not influence the soybean variables assessed. We found that the 24.7 Mg ha−1 CSS accumulated rate yielded the highest soybean yield (4990 kg ha−1). CSS can be used as an organic fertilizer in soybean cultivation, helping to improve the efficiency of mineral fertilizers while ensuring environmentally friendly disposal of municipal sewage sludge.
Keywords: Glycine max L.; bioinputs; composting; circular economy; soil fertility; food security Glycine max L.; bioinputs; composting; circular economy; soil fertility; food security

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Alves, R.S.; Silva, L.C.; Silva, P.S.T.; Fabrino, F.M.; Marques, P.P.; Arf, O.; Moreira, A.; Galindo, F.S.; Teixeira Filho, M.C.M.; Jani, A.D.; et al. Regenerative Farming with Organic Fertilizer and Biologics: A New Approach to Enhancing Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Quality. Agriculture 2025, 15, 2388. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222388

AMA Style

Alves RS, Silva LC, Silva PST, Fabrino FM, Marques PP, Arf O, Moreira A, Galindo FS, Teixeira Filho MCM, Jani AD, et al. Regenerative Farming with Organic Fertilizer and Biologics: A New Approach to Enhancing Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Quality. Agriculture. 2025; 15(22):2388. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222388

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alves, Rodrigo Silva, Luana Corrêa Silva, Philippe Solano Toledo Silva, Franco Monici Fabrino, Paulo Paschoalotto Marques, Orivaldo Arf, Adônis Moreira, Fernando Shintate Galindo, Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, and et al. 2025. "Regenerative Farming with Organic Fertilizer and Biologics: A New Approach to Enhancing Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Quality" Agriculture 15, no. 22: 2388. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222388

APA Style

Alves, R. S., Silva, L. C., Silva, P. S. T., Fabrino, F. M., Marques, P. P., Arf, O., Moreira, A., Galindo, F. S., Teixeira Filho, M. C. M., Jani, A. D., Capra, G. F., Rabêlo, F. H. S., Guelfi, D., & Nogueira, T. A. R. (2025). Regenerative Farming with Organic Fertilizer and Biologics: A New Approach to Enhancing Soybean Yield and Soil Chemical Quality. Agriculture, 15(22), 2388. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15222388

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