A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different organic fertilizers on soil microbial
biomass and peanut yield using plate counting and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE)
methods. The treatments included a) no fertilization (CK), b) chemical fertilizer, c) pig manure, d) cattle
manure, e) organic compound fertilizer of monosodium glutamate, and f) chicken manure. Results have
shown that both the economic and biological yield of peanut was improved by applying fertilizers, with
highest yields being found for applying a compound organic fertilizer of monosodium glutamate. On
average, the economic and biological yield in all treatments with applications of either chemical or organic
fertilizers increased by 73.5% and 50.0%, respectively, compared with CK. Total amounts of bacteria,
epiphyte and actinomyces in the treatment of applying chicken manure were the highest among different
fertilizer treatments, while they differed little among other treatments. Results from PCR amplification of
soil DNA and DGGE analysis indicated significant differences in soil microbial composition and diversity
among different chemical and organic fertilizer treatments. Different organic fertilizers affect the biomass of
soil microbes as well as their diversity trait.
Key