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Actinomycete benefits?

J

*Journeyman*

In doing a bunch of research seems actinomycete populations in soil are larger than fungi but less than bacteria. They also seem to be a microbe that has characteristics of both bacteria and fungi.

Anybody hip to what these things are really all about? I would assume nothing too far away from bacteria cause some refer to them as actinobacteria but never hear or read people talking about them. One guy told me that when you turn an older compost pile it's not the fungi you are seeing, the threadlike forms, but actinomycetes and that they are responsible for the smell of soil.

Thx
 
jaykush

jaykush

dirty black hands
ICMag Donor
Veteran
i believe you are right about them being the ones that make that "Fresh" soil smell.
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
Just a quick search turned up this tid-bit from the Department of Soil Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
Recently biotechnology is focusing attention on utilization of biological resources to solve a number of environmental problems such as soil fertility management. Results of microbial studies on earthworm compost in the University of Nigeria farm identified a number of rock phosphate solubilizing actinomycetes. Two of these, isclates 02 and 13, were found to be efficient rock phosphate (RP) solubilizers and fast-growing cellulolytic microbes producing extracellular hydrolase enzymes. In this preliminary field study the two microbial isolates were investigated with respect to their effects on the growth of soybean and egusi as well as their effect on the incidence of toxicity of poultry droppings. Application of these isolates in poultry manure-treated field plots, as microbial fertilizers, brought about yield increases of 43% and 17% with soybeans and 19% and 33% with egusi, respectively. Soil properties were also improved. With isolates 02 and 13, the soil available phosphorus increased at the five-leaf stage, while N-fixation in the soil increased by 45% or 11% relative to control. It was further observed that air-dried poultry manure after four days of incubation was still toxic to soybean. The toxic effect of the applied poultry manure was reduced or eliminated with microbial fertilizers 02 or 13, respectively.
The beneficial effects of the microbial organic fertilizer are discussed. Justification for more intensive research on rock phosphate organic fertilizer is highlighted.
Click to expand...
Heh......

CC
 
quadracer

quadracer

Active member
They are crucial for the decomposition of woody materials, much like fungi. But actinomyctes also thrive in the mesophillic and thermophillic stages of a compost pile where other organisms have a harder time at such temperatures.

I believe you are right about the earthy smell they produce.

Nice info CC!
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
quadracer said:
I believe you are right about the earthy smell they produce.

Nice info CC!
Click to expand...
quadracer

Thanks! I've been looking around for more information and there was a scientific journal which made mention of Actinomycete in earthworm castings resulting in the 'fresh soil smell' we're all familiar with.

CC
 
J

*Journeyman*

Thanx for that link CC. For some reason this topic wasn't quite clicking in my noggin.

Nice info Quadracer..very helpful.

Hopefully Microbeman will stop by and give his take especially when it comes to teas.
 
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