Features of soil cellulolytic activity under the influence of the molasses bard

Abstract

The results of three-year studies assessing the impact of molasses on the cellulolytic activity of sod-podzolic sandy loam soil (Albic Arenosols) in Western Polissya of Ukraine presented. The studies conducted in 2023–2025. The effectiveness of the direct impact of molasses (during potato cultivation) and its aftereffects in the first (winter wheat) and second (oats) years assessed. The cellulolytic activity of the soil was determined by taking into account the intensity of cellulose decomposition according to the Mishustin method using linen fabric, which was laid in the two upper soil layers (0–20 and 20–40 cm). It is found that the application of molasses, regardless of the year of observation, significantly enhances the cellulolytic activity of soil microbiota, and the intensity of the effect increases in proportion to the application dose. The maximum values obtained at a dose of 30 t/ha, which indicates the high efficiency of molasses as a source of readily available organic carbon and a stimulator of microbiological processes. During the research, a prolonged effect of the action of molasses on microbiological activity was established. In the post-action period of the first year, cellulolytic activity remains significantly increased compared to the control, in the second year the intensity of cellulose decomposition decreases, but remains higher than in the control variant, which confirms the prolonged nature of the action of molasses. The results indicate the ability of molasses to significantly enhance soil microbiological processes, provide a long-term increase in the intensity of organic matter decomposition and improve the overall biological condition of the soil. A conclusion is made about the feasibility of using molasses as an effective organic fertilizer on sod-podzolic soils, and assumptions are made about the potential optimization of microbiological processes in low-fertility soils of Polissya.