Fostering sustainable banana cultivation: Maximizing red soil performance with lignin-based humic acid liquid fertilizer

A novel lignin-based humic acid liquid fertilizer (LHF) was prepared by supplementing traditional humic acid fertilizer with lignin. The impact of LHF treatments in two distinct red soils was assessed through examination of soil nutrient content, enzyme activity, microbial abundance, and banana biomass. Compared to the conventional composite liquid fertilizer (CF) treatment, LHF treatment improved soil nutrients, including ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and organic matter. These improvements correlated with shifts in enzymatic activities and increases in microbial populations. The LHF treatments significantly promoted nutrient uptake in banana seedlings, and consequently, accelerated growth. This system allowed for precise determination of correlations between soil physicochemical properties and soil microorganisms, increasing our fundamental understanding of the impact of soil fertilization on microbial communities. The integration of lignin into liquid fertilizers represents a step forward in the research and development of high-efficiency fertilizers. Through the improvement of soil fertility and nutrient uptake, lignin application has the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of sustainable agriculture.