Improved methane mitigation potential and modulated methane cycling microbial communities in arable soil by compost addition.

The global atmospheric concentration of the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH) is rising rapidly, and agriculture is responsible for 30%-50% of the yearly CH emissions. To limit its global warming effects, strong and sustained reductions are needed. Sustainable agricultural management strategies, as the use of organic amendments like compost, have previously proven to have a potent CH mitigation effect in laboratory experiments.

The intrinsic methane mitigation potential and associated microbes add product value to compost.

Conventional agricultural activity reduces the uptake of the potent greenhouse gas methane by agricultural soils. However, the recently observed improved methane uptake capacity of agricultural soils after compost application is promising but needs mechanistic understanding. In this study, the methane uptake potential and microbiomes involved in methane cycling were assessed in green compost and household-compost with and without pre-digestion.