Response of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to combined application of organic compost along with plant growth promoting Aspergillus fungi

Bio-organic fertilizers can improve soil health and maintain microbial activity. The application of Aspergillus spp. can degrade organic matter, promote plant growth, and improve soil health by accelerating soil nutrients and biological activity. Previously, Aspergillus spp. has shown potential in phosphate solubilization and siderophore production. Still, a study gap remains, and focus has been placed on clarifying the impact of Aspergillus sp. AS2022 on soil microbial biomass and soil nutrient acceleration. For this purpose, a pot experiment was established with four different treatments: cow compost (CC), cow compost + AS2022 (CA), AS2022 (AS) strain only and control-only soil (CK). The amount of cow compost used was 180 mg N kg-1. Results revealed that inoculation of AS2022 with cow compost stimulated nitrogen mineralization and enhanced available nitrogen and accelerated the soil enzyme activities, which proposed that it could contribute to wheat crop production through the initial and later phases of plant growth. Although a single application of AS2022 enhances plant growth compared to the control, it might be the release of secondary metabolites. However, our short-term findings showed that the combined application of beneficial fungal strain AS2022 along cow compost was suitable culture for wheat crop production and improvement of soil quality through organic matter degradation and accelerating soil nutrients.