Effect of effective microorganisms on water purification and microbial community in a pond

There are very few reports about water purification and its influence on indigenous microorganisms by effective microorganisms (EM) in the fields. This study investigated the effect of EM on water purification and microbial community via in vitro and field experiments. In in vitro water purification experiments, we examined values for chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus, and total nitrogen (TN). In systems in which the active EM solutions were at a concentration of less than 1:2000 of the total water sample, the values after 28 days were equal to or lower than those of the control. In systems using 1:200 and 1:100 active EM solutions, COD and TN values were significantly lower in artificial wastewater compared to control. Conversely, they were significantly higher than the control in the pond water. When the active EM solutions were added to the pond water, total microbial plate counts were higher than the control after 28 days for all concentrations of the EM active solutions. Excessive use of EM caused deterioration of water quality and increase of microbial counts. The results of field experiments for 4 years suggested that EM treatment did not purify the pond water, establish introduced EM, or affect indigenous microorganisms.