Rice straw to biofertilizer formulations: Fostering waste management for circular economy

Rice straw to biofertilizer formulations: Fostering waste management for circular economy | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Rice straw to biofertilizer formulations: Fostering waste management for circular economy Apurav Sharma, Raman Soni, Sanjeev Kumar Soni This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The increasing recognition of issues related to the production of rice straw has spurred global interest, particularly in India, to reclaim rice straw generated during cultivation to mitigate the pollution. The present study focuses on the zero waste principle, which promotes long-term sustainable socio-economic and environmental benefits through the conversion of rice straw into biofertilizers. The 8-day process involves hydrolyzing delignified rice straw using Aspergillus niger P-19 capable of producing multiple hydrolytic enzymes while Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 grows in the nutrients present in the hydrolysate, providing plant growth-promoting traits. This method produces liquid and carrier biofertilizer formulations from a single process with a high microbial population and is economically attractive as it can be achieved in a single fermenter vessel without requiring external enzyme loading or carrier substances. This sustainable and economically feasible solution for rice straw management follows the basic principles of the circular economy. Rice straw biofertilizer hydrolytic enzymes waste management circular economy Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Introduction The concept of agricultural sustainability aims to maximize the benefits of crop, livestock, and agroecological management, as emphasized by scholars such as Pretty ( 2008 ) and Passarelli et al. ( 2023 ). The phrase "sustainable agriculture" has historically signified a more ecologically sound and socially responsible method of agricultural production in Western nations. It shows an economically successful, environmentally safe, and socially acceptable food, fiber, or fuel production system (Singh et al. 2016 ). The concerns related to sustainable agricultural systems revolve around the necessity to develop technologies and practices that do not harm natural resources or services, are practical and efficient for farmers, and contribute to the improvement of food production (Passarelli et al. 2023 ). India is a rural economy, where 66% population resides in rural areas and agriculture employs 42% working population contributing 16.5% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) (World Development Indicator 2019 ; National Statistical Office 2020 ). Asian nations, the largest contributors of rice ( Oryza sativa ), produced 721.4 MT and 90.48% of annual global rice output in 2011, resulting in 973.89 MT of rice straw in the fields (Singh et al. 2016 ). India following China being the second major contributor of rice over the globe produced 130.29 MT of rice in 2021–2022, which was 13.85 MT higher than the last five years’ average production of 116.44 MT (Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, 2022 ). In India, more than 100 MT of rice straw residue is produced as a byproduct each year, with around 60% of this residue being burnt on-site (Bhattacharyya et al. 2021 ). New Delhi, the national capital territory of India and its surrounding areas, suffer from severe air quality deterioration due to the significant release of pollutants, including CO2, caused by the burning of rice straws from Punjab and Haryana over a short period. This situation is exacerbated by favorable meteorological conditions, particularly wind blowing from the North-West to South-East direction, as stated by Laskar et al. ( 2020 ). Each year, more than 15 million tons of rice straw are burned in Punjab alone. Farmers burn rice straw in their fields to prepare for the next crop, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, according to Gadde et al. ( 2009 ). The chemical composition of rice straw, which mainly comprises cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, silica, and ash content, varies depending on the type of rice and the growing season. Rice straw is the most abundant source of cellulose among all agricultural crop residues globally, with cellulose accounting for 33–47%, hemicellulose for 19–27%, lignin for 5–24%, and silica for 18.3%, as reported by Singh et al. ( 2016 ). The issue of rice straw leftovers being burned on-farm is particularly severe, especially with automated harvesting in the rice crop cropping system. Rice straw mainly consists of lignocellulose, which is made up of complex and tough-to-decompose polymers like cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. This complexity presents a significant challenge to the composting process, ultimately impacting the quality and productivity of the resulting compost (Zainudin et al. 2022 ). Studies have reported that burning one ton of rice straw causes the loss of 5.5 kg of Nitrogen, 2.3 kg of Phosphorus, and 25 kg of Potassium. Conversely, blending or leaving rice straw in agricultural field soil has been found to increase soil nutrient availability (Singh and Patel, 2022 ). The selection of rice straw as a raw material for this study was based on its widespread availability in India, its sustainability, and its low cost. The use of rice straw aligns with the principles of sustainable agriculture, as it does not compete with human food resources. The fungal strain Aspergillus niger P-19 was chosen for its ability to produce multiple enzymes (Kaur et al. 2020 ), while the bacterial strain Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 was selected for its ability to fix nitrogen, solubilize and mobilize phosphorus and potassium, and promote plant growth (Soni et al. 2022b ). The study aimed to determine the efficacy of the enzyme preparation produced in-house in saccharifying polysaccharides in rice straw and de-oiled rice bran and to explore the possibility of fermenting sugars into biofertilizers using biodegradable solid waste. Our research group had already evaluated the application of the in-house produced enzyme preparation in the saccharification of polysaccharides present in rice straw and de-oiled rice bran (Rastogi et al. 2016 , Kaur et al. 2020 ; Chugh et al. 2023 ) and also explored the possibility of the fermentation of sugars into biofertilizer by utilizing biodegradable solid waste (Soni et al. 2022b ; Soni et al. 2022c , Sharma et al., 2023 ). The present study deals with the process of transforming rice straw into biofertilizer using A. niger P-19 and K. pneumoniae AP-407 as part of the study aiming to develop a low-cost process for the bioconversion of rice straw into biofertilizer, a highly acceptable alternative for the synthetic fertilizers for sustainable agriculture. The article's innovation lies in its clear recommendation for the sustainable conversion of rice straw into biofertilizer as a responsible means of waste disposal and a viable option for adopting the circular economy model. This approach is deemed more sustainable than traditional methods such as open burning, composting, or bioenergy, as it represents a novel methodology and the first of its kind to explore the conversion of rice straw into both carrier and liquid-based biofertilizer formulations employing a single process technology. The proposed solution is in line with the UN's Sustainability Goal 12: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns", which aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns. Materials and methods Microorganisms The fungal strain of Aspergillus niger P-19 capable of producing multiple carbohydrase-producing potentials comprising cellulase, xylanase, and mannanase by solid-state fermentation of rice straw (Kaur et al. 2020 ) was already available in the laboratory. The bacterial strain Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 was selected for its ability of nitrogen fixation (Kayasth et al. 2014 ), HCN production (Dinesh et al. 2015 ), phosphate solubilization (Gupta et al. 2012 ), potassium mobilization (Bhattacharyya et al. 2016 ), siderophore production (Louden et al. 2011 ), ammonia (Amna et al. 2019) and IAA production (Gang et al. 2019 ) which was already available in the laboratory (Soni et al. 2022b , Sharma et al., 2023 ). Pretreatment of rice straw The homogenized blend of 100 g of finely crushed rice straw and 1 l of 0.25 N NaOH solution was left at room temperature (25 to 30°C) overnight. After 60 minutes of steam treatment at 15 psi, it was repeatedly washed with tap water by bringing the pH to about 6.5 to 7.0 to neutralize the results of the chemical treatment (Kaur et al. 2020 ; Jain et al. 2023 ). The residue left out from pre-treatment was stored in a cold storage facility till further usage. Evaluation of A. niger P-19 for production of multiple hydrolytic enzymes by submerged state fermentation of pretreated rice straw 10 g of the pretreated rice straw were taken in different sets of 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks and dispensed with Mandel-Weber's salt medium (Mandels and Weber, 1969 ) to maintain solid loading of 1:10. The flasks were autoclaved for 15 min at 15 psi which was later inoculated with 2.5 ml of spore suspension of A. niger P-19 having 10 6 spores/ml followed by incubation at 28°C for 10 days under submerged fermentation conditions. At regular intervals of 24 h, the flasks were retrieved, and liquid content was centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 10 min at 4°C. Enzymes were obtained from the cell-free supernatants. The cell-free supernatants were assayed for cellulases enzymes system in terms of endo-β1,4-glucanase, exo-β-1,4-β-glucanase, and β-1,4-glucosidase using 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Whatman filter paper No. 1 (1 × 6 cm strip) and 1% salicin made by suspending in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 4.0 as the substrates (Mandels et al. 1976 ). The activities were expressed in terms CMCase, FPase, and β-glucosidase. Furthermore, the hemicellulases were assayed in terms of endo-β-1,4-xylanase and endoβ-1,4-mannanase using 1% birchwood xylan (Bailey et al. 1992 ) and 1% guar gum (Stalbrand et al. 1993) made by suspending in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 4.0 and the activities were expressed in terms of xylanase and mannanase respectively. Enzyme productivities have been expressed in terms of International Units per ml of the substrate (IU/ml), where one unit of the enzyme component is equivalent to the enzyme that releases one µ mole of the end product either of glucose, xylose or mannose in one min under standard enzyme assay conditions at temperature 50°C and pH 4.0 using dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) reagent as described by Miller ( 1959 ). Standardization of various cultural and environmental parameters affecting consolidated bioprocessing of pretreated rice straw for preparation of biofertilizer formulations Consolidated bioprocessing was adopted for the formulation of biofertilizer by simultaneous production of hydrolytic enzymes from A . niger P-19 and growth of biofertilizer strain K . pneumoniae AP-407 by utilizing the sugars from hydrolysis of rice straw. The CFU/ml of K . pneumoniae AP-407 was estimated according to James ( 1978 ) and enzymatic activity was estimated as discussed earlier in section 2.2. The biofertilizer productivity was optimized by studying the effects of different parameters including temperature, pH, and solid loading. For this 10 g of pretreated rice straw was dispensed in a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask and moistened with distilled water and inoculated with 2.5 spore suspension of A . niger P-19 having 1 × 10 6 spores/ml and 2.5 ml of K . pneumoniae AP-407 having 1 × 10 6 CFU/ml. 10 g of pretreated rice straw was moistened with 100 ml of three buffer systems (0.1 M) including Acetate buffer (pH 3.0–5.0) to maintain acidic pH condition, Phosphate buffer (pH 6.0–7.0) to maintain neutral pH condition, and Tris-HCl buffer (pH 9.0–10.0) to maintain alkaline pH condition, were used to study the biofertilizer production at the pH ranging from 3.0–10.0. The effect of temperature on biofertilizer production was studied by evaluation at different temperatures ranging from 25 to 40°C. The effect of moisture content was studied by varying the solid loading from 1:10 to 1:50. Upscaling of biofertilizer production at 100 l pilot scale fermenter The optimized parameters for the biofertilizer production process, using rice straw, were validated in 5 l and 20 l laboratory fermenters (data not shown) before upscaling in a 100 l fermenter. The 100 l fermenter was fed with 4 kg pretreated rice straw and 80 l distilled water which was sterilized at 121 o C at 15 psi for 20 min to maintain solid to liquid ratio of 1:20. The content in the fermenter was inoculated with 2 l spore suspension of A . niger P-19 and 2 l of K . pneumoniae AP-407 with the cell count of 10 6 spores/ml, 1 x 10 6 CFU/ml respectively after lowering the temperature to 30 o C. The contents in the fermenter were continuously stirred at 200 rpm with temperature and pH kept at 30 o C and 6.0 respectively for 8 days. The current optimized process technology for transforming rice straw into both carrier and liquid-based biofertilizer formulations is depicted in Fig. 1 demonstrating the various steps involved. Physico-chemical and biological analysis during consolidated bioprocessing Every 24 hours, the physical variables for consolidated bioprocessing were assessed. After every 24 hours, the biological and chemical analysis, which included enzymatic activity, and microbial count, was performed on hydrolysate which was collected each morning in a container. The chemical and biological parameters which were analyzed during consolidated bioprocessing are described with the standard method used in Table 1 . Table 1 Physico-chemical and biological parameters analyzed during consolidated bioprocessing. Sr. No. Parameter Method employed 1 Enzyme productivity (IU/ml) As described above in section (Quantitative estimation of multiple carbohydrases on rice straw described in section earlier 2.3.) 2 Total Reducing Sugar (mg/ml) Dinitrosalicylic acid method (Miller, 1959 ) 3 Total Glucose (mg/ml) GOD-PAP method The kit containing reagents was purchased from Reckon Diagnostics, Pvt. Ltd., India. Reagent 1: Glucose oxidase, peroxidase, 4 –aminoantipyrine Reagent 2: Phosphate buffer pH 7.0, phenol Reagent 3: Glucose standard 1 mg/ml Working Reagent : Dissolve one bottle of Reagent 1 with one bottle (100 ml) of Reagent 2 4 Cell count of micro-organisms (CFU/ml) The sample from the fermenter was diluted serially up to 10–15 dilution and 0.1 ml sample was inoculated on Standard plate agar for determination of microbial cell count. Inoculated plates were kept in an incubator for 24 h at 37°C, and 96 h at 28°C. The colony forming unit (CFU) per gram was estimated according to James ( 1978 ): Viable cell count (CFU/ml) = (number of colonies× dilution factor)/volume of inoculum Separation of liquid and carrier-based biofertilizer formulations The contents after consolidated bioprocessing were filtered by passing through the nylon double mesh sieve having 250-micron mesh size and the resulting filtrate, taken as the liquid biofertilizer was stored in glass bottles in a cold room facility available in the Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh till further use. The solid residue left out from liquid filtrate was squeezed through a muslin cloth, packed in air-tight polythene bags as a carrier-based biofertilizer, and stored in a cold room facility. Seed germination test The seed germination (SG) and the relative seed germination (RSG), were analyzed from equations (1) and (2) (Luo et al. 2018 ). The in-vitro seed germination test or vigor index was analyzed from Eq. (3) (Jagadeesan et al. 2023 ). 10 tomato seeds (triplicate) were soaked in 10% (w/v and v/v) homogenously soaked filter paper with liquid and carrier biofertilizer which were kept at 30 o C for 1 h. Later the 15 seeds for each set were transferred to a sterile petri plate containing pre-wetted cotton with sterile double distilled water and incubated at 30 o C for 6 days which were analyzed for vigor index, the seed germination (SG) and the relative seed germination (RSG), by using the following equations. Plant growth experiment for evaluation of biofertilizer formulations A plant growth system experiment was conducted for assessing the effect of the carrier and liquid biofertilizer formulations on the development of plants from November 2022 till mid of January 2023. The entire experiment was carried out at the Department of Microbiology, South Campus, Panjab University, Chandigarh. The 10 seeds of plants Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato) for each set were surface sterilized using 70% ethanol and rinsed three times using sterile distilled water. Further, the seeds were shade dried for 30 min, and later all the respective seeds were sowed in separate pots having a diameter of 28 cm and depth of 20 cm filled with 2500 g of soil sterilized by autoclaving at 15 psi for 1 h. The biofertilizer was applied by soil treatments method for which seeds were initially sowed and after 2 hours 2g of carrier-based biofertilizer was blended in soil and 2ml of liquid-based biofertilizer initially suspended in 100ml of water sprinkled on soil containing seeds. The same treatment was repeated on the 15th day after taking soil and plant samples. For each treatment, three replicate pots were maintained with a natural photoperiod (12 h) and watered with tap water for 45 days. After 25, 50, and 75 days of sowing and on maturity, the three replicates of each treatment were harvested and various factors were assessed. Morphometric analyses of the host plant for the different treatments were assessed after fifteen, thirty, and forty-five days of sowing and on maturity which includes plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g) and root fresh weight (g). The relative increase yield in each morphometric character is described in the following Eq. (4). Quantitative Analysis of Soil The soil was tested for macro and micro-nutrients testing kit procured from Himedia, India for determining organic carbon in the soil in terms of % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ), available potassium (K 2 O), ammonical nitrogen (NH 3 -N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) in the soil in terms of kg per hectare (kg/ha). Results and Discussion Evaluation for the production of multiple carbohydrases on pretreated rice straw The fungal strain Aspergillus niger P-19 shows the potential of producing multiple carbohydrases on cheap substrate i.e. pretreated rice straw in submerged fermentation at 1:10 solid loading, pH 6.0, 28 o C, and was selected as a strong contender for consolidated bioprocessing. The evolution of multiple hydrolytic enzyme activities of Aspergillus niger P-19 is depicted in Table 2 . The enzyme activity is presented in terms of IU/ ml which is defined as the amount of enzyme required to catalyze the conversion of 1µmole of substrate per minute under specified enzyme assay conditions. Aspergillus niger P-19 showed the maximum peak of CMCase was 1.415 ± .1250 IU/ml on the 6th day, maximum FPase (0.415 ± .0250 IU/ml) on the 4th day, and β-glucosidase (0.715 ± .0210 IU/ml) after 6th day, respectively. Xylanase production showed maximum production (2.75 ± .0550 IU/ml) after the 6th day and mannanase production was maximum (2.45 ± .2800 IU/ml) after the 6th day. Table 2 Evaluation of Aspergillus niger P-19 for the production of multiple carbohydrases. Days CMCase FPase β-glucosidase Xylanase Mannanse IU/ml 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.045± .0050 0.007± .0002 0.004± .0001 0.015± .0001 0.500± .0150 2 0.056± .0020 0.012± .0001 0.003± .0001 0.412± .0160 0.600± .0180 3 0.065± .0050 0.204± .0160 0.015± .0001 0.540± .0150 0.850± .2500 4 0.062± .0050 0.415± .0250 0.014± .0001 0.652± .0260 0.950± .1800 5 0.750 ± .0150 0.018± .0001 0.415± .0190 1.125± .0350 1.850± .4800 6 1.415± .1250 0.018± .0001 0.715± .0210 2.750± .0550 2.450± .2800 7 0.780± .0120 0.009± .0003 0.034± .0030 0.825± .0170 0.755± .3500 8 0.358± .0070 0.004± .0002 0.008± .0003 0.520± .0120 0.250± .0050 9 0.250± .0040 0.002± .0001 0.003± .0001 0.220± .0150 0.180± .0120 10 0.004± .0010 0.002± .0001 0.003± .0002 0.055± .0100 0.150± .0050 Columns represent the result of mean and standard deviation. Our previous reports demonstrated that Aspergillus niger P-19 has the huge potential of producing multiple carbohydrases including cellulases enzyme system comprising of CMCase, Fpase, β-glucosidase, and hemicellulases complex comprising of Xylanase and Mannanse (Chugh et al. 2016; Kaur et al. 2020 ; Chugh et al. 2023 ). Kaur et al. ( 2020 ) showed the potential of rice straw for the production of cellulases-hemicellulases enzyme system in solid-state fermentation and recently another study in our group study by Chugh et al. ( 2023 ) showed the potential of deoiled rice bran as the substrate for enzyme production by solid-state fermentation. Aspergillus spp. is known for its potential of producing multiple carbohydrases on various biodegradable solid wastes and lignocellulosic biomass on solid state, surface, and submerged fermentation processes (Soni et al. 2023 ; Alabdalall et al. 2023 ). Alabdalall et al. ( 2023 ) using Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus obtained a maximum CMCase of 1.14 ± 0.01 IU/ml at 20°C which reduces to 1.13 ± 0.010.01 IU/ml at 30°C, whereas, in present study 1.415 ± .025 IU/ml of CMCase was obtained on the 6th day of submerged fermentation using rice straw as substrate. Another study by Namnuch et al. ( 2021 ) observed 0.08 ± 0.00 IU/ml of FPase using rice straw as a substrate in submerged state fermentation with a potential fungal strain of Aspergillus flavu s. Bajar et al. ( 2020 ) got the maximum xylanase production of 6.6 to 11.6 IU/ml on Rice straw (1–5% (w/v)) mixed with 2–10% (w/v) anaerobically treated distillery spent wash using Aspergillus heteromorphus . The optimal pH for consolidated bioprocessing was observed to be 6.0 for the maximal enzyme production and rice straw hydrolysis which were by prior study in our laboratory where maximum enzyme production of xylanase and mannanse were obtained at pH 5.5 for the hydrolysis of rice straw (Rastogi et al. 2016 ). The organism produced more enzymes at the beginning than at later phases, indicating that the carbon supply is the primary determinant of elevated enzyme activity. The decline in yields with increasing incubation duration could be attributed to catabolic repression or carbon supply depletion (Rasotgi et al. 2016; Kaur et al. 2020 ; Chugh et al. 2023 ). Until now, by examining the time course of enzyme production and nutrients supplementation, it is possible to improve enzyme productivity even more. The present study thus unveils the optimal conditions and potential of strain Aspergillus niger P-19 for the production of multiple carbohydrates on rice straw. Plant growth-promoting traits of Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 The bacterial strain, Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of healthy plants in Panjab University campus. The Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 showed positive results for its nitrogen-fixing ability, HCN production, phosphate (P) solubilization, siderophore production, potassium (K) mobilization, ammonia production, and IAA production depicted in as already deposited in the International depository at MTCC, Chandigarh, India which is already disclosed in Indian patent application number 202211050475 (Soni et al. 2022b ; Sharma et al., 2023 ). Numerous rhizosphere bacteria have positive impacts on plant growth and health because the rhizosphere is a hotspot for microbial activity. Bacterial strains from the genera Klebsiella, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus , and Serratia have a high potential for use as plant growth promoters due to their stress resistance and metal tolerance in soil (Soni et al. 2022c ). K. pneumoniae showed positive attributes in fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphate, and mobilizing potassium from unavailable to available form to plants. Along with this, K . pneumoniae also demonstrated a strong capacity to create the phytohormone IAA, which largely controls plant cell division, and proliferation and lengthens roots (Santer et al. 2009; Rijavec et al. 2016) and the potential of K . pneumoniae for the production of biofertilizer was also disclosed in our recent group study Soni et al. ( 2022b ; Sharma et al., 2023 ). Standardization of various cultural and environmental parameters affecting consolidated bioprocessing for biofertilizer formulations The thermo-alkaline pretreatment of rice straw preceding consolidated bioprocessing resulted in a 45 ± 4% reduction in mass. The effect of thermo-alkaline pretreatment on rice straw has already been demonstrated by our research group earlier (Kaur et al. 2020 ), in which the rice straw was efficiently hydrolyzed, releasing maximum sugars as a result of thermo-alkaline pretreatments followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, the efficacy of similar thermo-alkaline pretreatment is also demonstrated on de-oiled rice bran by our research group (Chugh et al. 2023 ). The efficacy of delignification from present pretreatment is already disclosed in our prior studies on rice straw (Rastogi et al. 2016 ; Chugh et al. 2020) The effects of various physical and chemical parameters studied by altering one factor at a time for the optimization of biofertilizer production have been discussed hereafter. The usage of commercial enzyme mixtures is costly, making the entire procedure economically unsustainable. The glucose released was observed until day 4, with the maximum observed on day 4 at 0.8 mg/ml, whereas the total sugar was observed to be maximum on day 5 at 2.45 mg/ml, after which it gradually dropped and was utilized by K. pneumoniae AP-407. The cell count of K. pneumoniae AP-407, as well as enzyme production by A. niger P-19, is significantly affected by pH. The optimal range of pH for better enzymatic activity and significantly better CFU/ml was observed to be 6.0 on or after 6 days of submerged incubation, which raised to 3.20 × 10 11 CFU/ml after 6 days and remained constant after that. The optimal temperature for consolidated bioprocessing was observed to be 30°C. The CFU/ml of the biofertilizer strain gradually decreases after 32°C and below 28°C, whereas the CFU/ml of the biofertilizer strain decreases after pH 8.0 and below 6.0. Thus, the present optimized condition for consolidated bioprocessing in the present process is between 6.0–7.0 pH and 29–31°C. Table 3 below depicts the significant amount of enzyme level and enhanced CFU/ml at pH 6.0 and 30°C. The use of alternative sources, most notably biofertilizers, is required due to the high cost of generating fertilizer and the pollution caused by the usage of chemical fertilizers. No matter the formulation or dosage, applying biofertilizers to the soil are competitive with chemical formulations and thereby improves a wide range of biological features (Sobti et al. 2022 ; Soni et al. 2022a , 2022b , 2023 ). CBP combines fermentation, saccharification, and enzyme synthesis into a single set. Utilizing this strategy primarily serves to save expenses while enhancing efficiency. CBP systems reduce maintenance and capital expenses while also reducing the number of unit operations (Olguin-Maciel et al. 2020 ; Soni et al. 2022a , b ). The consolidated bioprocessing approach thus successfully transforms the rice straw into biofertilizer formulations within 10 days of the processing. Table 3 Consolidated bioprocessing for transforming rice straw into biofertilizer at pH 6.0 and 30 o C (solid loading 1:10). Days CMCase FPase β-glucosidase Xylanase Mannanse Biofertilizer (CFU/ml) IU/ml 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 × 10 6 1 0.015± .0001 0.017± .0001 0.003± .0001 0.045± .0030 0.850± .0250 2.15 × 10 6 2 0.026± .0002 0.042± .0014 0.057± .0011 0.312± .1800 0.112± .0110 2.2 × 10 6 3 0.055± .0070 0.404± .0160 0.115± .0240 0.440± .0350 0.285± .0350 3.15 × 10 7 4 0.074± .0060 0.525± .0350 0.214± .0430 0.752± .0260 0.915± .0180 1.05 × 10 8 5 0.823± .0180 0.418± .0370 0.615± .0290 0.925± .0750 1.950± .0450 1.11 ×10 9 6 0.920± .0250 0.118± .0170 0.816± .0410 3.250± .5600 3.450± .1250 2.15 × 10 11 7 0.708± .0340 0.029± .0030 0.084± .0190 2.850± .2000 1.850± .1300 3.2 × 10 11 8 0.588± .0870 0.005± .0002 0.058± .0005 1.500± .0150 0.325± .0150 3.2 × 10 11 9 0.205± .0240 0.005± .0001 0.035± .0007 0.750± .0200 0.185± .0200 3.2 × 10 11 10 0.094± .0021 0.005± .0001 0.023± .0006 0.095± .0011 0.115± .0080 3.2 × 10 11 Columns represent the result of mean and standard deviation. The optimal solid loading during consolidated bioprocessing for biofertilizer production was observed to be 1:20 in contrast to 1:10. The CFU/ml decreases after 1:30. Table 4 depicts the CFU/ml at different solid loading. Enzyme production during submerged-state fermentation is impacted by both high and low moisture concentrations. Excessive moisture reduces porosity and encourages stickiness, which reduces oxygen transport and heat dissipation. Conversely, low moisture reduces the solubility of nutrients in the solid matrix, which inhibits microbial development (Sadaf and Khare, 2014 ). For maximal enzyme titers and improved CFU/ml for the generation of biofertilizer, the optimum moisture level is thus essential. The optimal solid loading in the present work is obtained to be 1:20 which increases the CFU/ml from 1.00×10 6 CFU/ml to 4.50×10 12 CFU/ml under standardized conditions of pH 6.0 (pH range 6.0–7.0) and temperature 30 o C (temperature range 29–31 o C), the relatively lower cell count of biofertilizer microorganisms above 1:30 can be attributed to lower nutrients at much higher dilution which is not found suitable for the microbial count in present work. Table 4 Effect of different solid loading on the bacterial count of biofertilizer. Days Solid loadings 1:10 1:20 1:30 1:40 1:50 CFU/ml 0 1.00×10 6 1.00×10 6 1.00×10 6 1.00×10 6 1.00×10 6 1 2.15×10 6 1.61×10 6 1.84 ×10 6 2.78 ×10 6 1.48×10 6 2 2.20×10 6 2.45×10 7 1.61 ×10 7 6.30 ×10 7 1.48 ×10 6 3 3.15×10 7 3.15×10 8 1.13 ×10 8 1.91 ×10 7 3.04 ×10 6 4 1.05×10 8 1.44×10 9 1.44 ×10 9 1.57 ×10 7 9.80 ×10 7 5 1.11×10 9 3.50×10 11 2.61 ×10 10 2.15×10 8 6.30 ×10 8 6 2.15×10 11 4.50×10 12 2.50×10 10 3.45×10 9 6.30×10 8 7 3.20×10 11 4.50×10 12 2.50×10 10 1.57×10 9 7.20×10 7 8 3.20×10 11 4.50×10 12 2.50×10 10 2.50×10 9 7.20×10 7 The liquid and carrier biofertilizer were separated after 8 days of consolidated bioprocessing which were packed, sealed, and stored later on in a cold room facility available in the Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh already depicted in Fig. 1 . The final cell count of both liquid biofertilizer with the final amount of 79.0 ± 0.200 l and carrier biofertilizer with the final amount of 300 ± 0.30 g was observed to be 4.50 × 10 12 CFU/ml and 4.50 × 10 12 CFU/g before storage. The cell count of liquid biofertilizer reduces to 2.10 × 10 11 CFU/ml while the cell count of carrier biofertilizer reduces to 2.15 × 10 9 CFU/g after 6 months of storage. After 10 months of storage, the cell count of carrier biofertilizer showed some significant drop and was observed to be 2.50 × 10 7 CFU/g, whereas liquid biofertilizer showed a good shelf life and was carrying 2.20 × 10 9 CFU/ml. The desperate requirement in the agro-industrial sector is biofertilizers with a long shelf life, convenient, and controlled dispersion of the investigated microorganisms. The recovery of natural, low-cost proteins and carbohydrates from agricultural biomass offers considerable potential (Roslan et al. 2022 ). The current method made use of the liquid biofertilizer formulation from the abovementioned procedure as well as the free rice straw as the carrier for inoculum adsorption. Because it contains a lot of carbon and other micronutrients, rice straw serves as a stabilizing supply of these elements. The current study also complies with the rules and requirements of FCO (India), which state that the minimum CFU should be 1 × 10 8 cells per ml of liquid biofertilizer or 5 × 10 7 cells per g of powder, granules, or carrier material after six months (Khurana and Kumar, 2020). The present work shows the extended shelf life of both fertilizers after 10 months of storage which were observed to be 2.50 × 10 7 CFU/g for the carrier, whereas liquid biofertilizer showed even better shelf life and was carrying 2.20 × 10 9 CFU/ml. The better CFU/ml and CFU/g of biofertilizer are attributed to the better pretreatment by NaOH which open the complex cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin structure followed by even better enzymatic hydrolysis which releases the soluble sugar utilized by biofertilizer strain, these results are supported by the findings of Roslan et al. ( 2022 ). The CFU/ml and CFU/g of biofertilizer were even better compared to the biofertilizer developed by Xu et al. ( 2014 ), who observed a maximum of 9.7 × 10 9 CFU/ml when prepared from wastewater from sweet potato starch. The prepared biofertilizer formulations carried a healthy amount of microbial count which has plant growth-promoting traits. Overall, the nutrients from rice straw hydrolysis and plant growth-promoting traits of biofertilizer microorganisms make a better substitute in comparison to traditional fertilizers and biofertilizers. The characteristics of rice straw hydrolysate and biofertilizers formulations developed from rice straw hydrolysate using present process technology are depicted in Table 5 . The straw hydrolysate itself is enriched with various micronutrients released from pretreatment. Furthermore, the inclusion of K. pneumoniae AP-407 significantly enhanced the chemical and biological characteristics of rice straw hydrolysate. Table 5 Characteristics of the rice straw hydrolysate (after pretreatment) and biofertilizer formulations (prepared from pretreated rice straw). Parameter (s) Straw Hydrolysate Carrier Biofertilizer Liquid Biofertilizer pH 6.5 ± 0.5 6.5 ± 0.5 6.5 ± 0.5 Viable Count - 4.50 × 10 12 CFU/g 4.50×10 12 CFU/ml IAA - 32.45 ± 2.70 µg/ml 35.20 ± 2.65 µg/ml HCN - + + Siderophore - Hydroxymate(+) Hydroxymate(+) NO 3 -N - 25.0 ± 2.0 mg/kg 25.0 ± 2.0 mg/L NH 3 -N 36.0 ± 2.0 mg/L 48.0 ± 2.0 mg/kg 42.0 ± 2.0 mg/L P 2 O 5 28.0 ± 1.0 mg/L 34.0 ± 2.0 mg/kg 27.0 ± 1.0 mg/L K 2 O 56.0 ± 3.0 mg/L 56.0 ± 3.0 mg/kg 56.0 ± 3.0 mg/L Columns represent the result of mean and standard deviation. Seed germination test and plant growth experiment The prepared carrier-based and liquid biofertilizer significantly enhanced the seed germination and relative seed germination of tomato seeds. The liquid-based biofertilizer showed 86.6 ± 4.40% seed germination in comparison to the control set which showed 46.6 ± 2.40% seed germination depicted in Table 6 . The fastest vigor index was observed in liquid biofertilizer-treated seeds which were followed by carrier biofertilizer depicted in Table 5 . Jagadeesan et al. ( 2023 ) recently prepared the biofertilizer using chicken feather waste which was enriched with a biofertilizer strain of Bacillus pumilus. The present study results overlie with the results of Jagadeesan et al. ( 2023 ), in terms of enhancement in vigor index and seed germination of Solanum lycopersicum (Tomato) as biofertilizer formulations shorten the growth span of seeds. Table 6 Effects of liquid and carrier-based biofertilizer on seeds of S. lycopersicum Seed germination (SG) and Relative seed germination (RSG). Treatment Number of Seed germinated (out of a total of 15) Seed germination (SG %) Relative seed germination (RSG %) Vigor Index Control 7.0 ± 0.35 46.6 ± 2.40 - 144.46 Liquid biofertilizer 13.0 ± 0.65 86.6 ± 4.40 185.7 536.92 Carrier biofertilizer 11.0 ± 0.55 73.3 ± 3.70 157.1 373.83 Columns represent the result of mean and standard deviation. Both liquid-based and carrier-based biofertilizers had a positive impact on all morphometric traits of S. lycopersicum , including plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g). The relative yield was used to determine the actual increase in yield in each morphometric trait of the plant, whereby after 20 days, two plants from each pot were taken to observe the average increase in yield of the trait. The percentage relative increase in yield in carrier-based biofertilizer after 60 days was 109.2%, 111.6%, 104.4%, 123.9%, 126.5%, and 122.5% for plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g), respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage relative increase yield in liquid-based biofertilizer after 60 days was 133.3%, 144.7%, 110.1%, 155.1%, 147.1%, and 258% for plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g), respectively. The results indicate that the liquid biofertilizer performed better than the carrier-based biofertilizer, as shown in Table 7 . Utilizing bio-fertilizers improves the nutrient uptake of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), and K (potassium), offering a viable and ecologically acceptable method of improving crop yields, quality, and antioxidant compounds with less effort (Dasgan et al. 2022 ). Today's widespread use of organic and mineral supplements boosts crop yields and enhances plant nutrition (Calabi et al. 2018). Mineral fertilizers may be immediately assimilated by plants, but organic fertilizers cannot. Therefore, before being used, these chemicals must be broken down by efficient microorganisms (Zhao et al. 2019 ). Due to their ecologically friendly practices, effectiveness in supplying plant nutrition, and declining costs for mineral fertilization, bio-fertilizers have recently gained popularity in soilless growing systems (Ergun et al. 2018 ). Adhering to these statements the K. pneumoniae AP-407 based biofertilizers significantly enhanced the relative seed germination of S. lycopersicum which were observed to be 185.7% for liquid biofertilizer and 157.1% for carrier-based biofertilizer as well as the morphometric traits of plants in addition to improved N, P, K level of the soil. The relative plant trait yield was also enhanced with the maximum in liquid biofertilizer-treated root fresh weight with 258%. The overall relative yield was enhanced in both treatments in comparison to the control set as depicted in Table 7 . Govindarajan et al. ( 2007 ) also emphasized the potential of Klebsiella sp. GR9 in improving rice production. Table 7 Depicting morphometric characteristics (plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g)) in control, carrier biofertilizer and liquid biofertilizer treated S. lycopersicum after 25, 50 and 75 days of plant growth experiment. Parameter Day 25 Day 50 Day 75 Relative yield increase (%) Control​ Carrier ​ Liquid ​ Control​ Carrier ​ Liquid ​ Control​ Carrier ​ Liquid ​ Carrier Liquid Plant height (cm)​ 5.7 ± 0.280 10.0 ± 0.500 11.5 ± 0.650 8.5 ± 0.425 12.5 ± 0.625 17.5 ± 0.875 27.0 ± 1.350 29.5 ± 1.475 36.0 ± 1.800 109.2 133.3 Shoot height​ (cm) 4.7 ± 0.230 7.0 ± 0.350 7.2 ± 0.380 6.0 ± 0.250 8.0 ± 0.400 11.0 ± 0.625 18.1 ± 0.905 20.2 ± 1.010 26.2 ± 1.310 111.6 144.7 Root height (cm)​ 1.0 ± 0.050 3.0 ± 0.150 4.3 ± 0.410 2.5 ± 0.115 4.5 ± 0.220 6.5 ± 0.325 8.9 ± 0.445 9.3 ± 0.465 9.8 ± 0.490 104.4 110.1 Plant Fresh weight (g)​ 0.07 ± 0.003 0.13 ± 0.005 0.53 ± 0.025 2.0 ± 0.100 4.2 ± 0.230 2.3 ± .0115 8.65 ± 0.432 10.72 ± 0.536 13.42 ± 0.671 123.9 155.1 Shoot fresh weight ​(g) 0.07 ± 0.004 0.11 ± 0.004 0.49 ± 0.024 1.85 ± 0.092 3.8 ± 0.150 2.1 ± 0.105 8.03 ± 0.401 9.96 ± 0.401 11.82 ± 0.591 124.0 147.1 Root fresh weight ​(g) - 0.02 ± 0.001 0.04 ± 0.002 0.15 ± 0.006 0.4 ± 0.020 0.2 ± 0.010 0.62 ± 0.031 0.76 ± 0.038 1.6 ± 0.080 122.5 258 Columns represent the result of mean and standard deviation. Quantitative Analysis of Soil The organic carbon in soil was determined in terms of % oxidizable organic carbon. The available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ), available potassium (K 2 O), ammonical nitrogen (NH 3 -N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) in soil were determined in terms of kg per hectare (kg/ha) depicted in Fig. 2 . The % oxidizable organic carbon was 0.300–0.500 kg/ha, available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) was 22 to 56 kg/ha, available potassium (K 2 O) was 112 to 280 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen (NH 3 -N) was low about 15 kg/ha, nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) was nil on 0th day of sowing of S. lycopersicum in soil. The % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in the control set was in the range of 0.100–0.300 kg/ha during the whole trial and nil after 75 days, available phosphate reduces after 50 days which was observed to be nil, available potassium reduces after 50 days to nil, ammonical nitrogen was low about 15 kg/ha during initiation of experiment which reduces to nil after 40 days and nitrate nitrogen was observed only after 50 days which was very low about 04 kg/ha. The % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in liquid biofertilizer treatment was in the range of 1.00-1.50 kg/ha during the whole trial, available phosphate was maintained above 73 kg/ha which only reduced after 50 days, available potassium was also available at about 392 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen was available about 73 kg/ha and nitrate nitrogen was available in medium to high range of 20 and 50 kg/ha which reduced only after 50 days. The % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in carrier biofertilizer treatment was in the range of 1.00-1.50 kg/ha during the whole trial, available phosphate started reducing after 50 days and was observed to be between 56 to 73 kg/ha, and available potassium gradually reduces as the experiment continued after 50 days from 280 to 112 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen was available about 73 kg/ha and nitrate nitrogen was available mostly in high range to medium about 20 kg/ha during the trial. The carrier and liquid-based biofertilizers were found to significantly enhance the levels of Total % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ), available potassium (K 2 O), ammonical nitrogen (NH 3 -N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N). The available phosphorus was observed to be 73 kg/ha, which is significantly higher than the control set which had only 56 kg/ha. Similarly, the levels of ammonical nitrogen in both liquid and carrier-based biofertilizers were observed to be 73 kg/ha, whereas the control set had only 15 kg/ha. In addition, nitrate nitrogen, which is important for nitrogen fixation in soil, was observed to be 50 kg/ha in the carrier and liquid biofertilizers, whereas the control set had only 4 kg/ha. The significant enhancement in the levels of Total % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ), available potassium (K 2 O), ammonical nitrogen (NH 3 -N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) supports our claim that the carrier and liquid biofertilizers formulated from rice straw are of better quality for use in agriculture and agro-industrial sectors. The available phosphate (P 2 O 5 ) and available potassium (K 2 O) at the beginning of the study ranged from 22 to 56 kg/ha and 112 to 280 kg/ha, respectively, in an un-solubilized form, making them unavailable for plant use, as was observed in the control set of plants. Overall, the control set had low levels of phosphorus and potassium, while the biofertilizer-treated plant sets not only utilized the available phosphorus and potassium but also solubilized the available phosphate and potassium in the soil. This was evident as the phosphate and potassium levels increased after 25 days, as depicted in Fig. 2 . The increased levels of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen in the biofertilizer-treated plant sets can be attributed to the nutrients present in rice straw, in addition to the plant growth-promoting traits of Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407. These results validate the quality of the biofertilizer and are supported by the study of Xu et al. ( 2014 ), where a biofertilizer formulation was prepared using wastewater from sweet potato starch. Tiquia ( 2002 ) suggests that nitrogen loss from the soil is due to the ammonification (NH 4 + ) process, which converts organic nitrogen into NH 3 and NH 4 + ions. Similar results were observed in the control soil of the present study and compost prepared by Nagarajan et al. ( 2018 ) from chicken feathers. In contrast, the soil of liquid and carrier biofertilizer maintained nitrate (NO 3 -N) nitrogen (NH 3 -N), which is a key component in providing and maintaining a nitrogen pool in the soil, as supported by Muhammad et al. ( 2022 ) and Sun et al. ( 2023 ). This study's results thus offer a tool to maintain the nitrogen pool in the soil and prevent nitrogen loss from agricultural soil. In continuation of our previous study by Sharma et al. ( 2023 ), we efficiently converted composite kitchen waste into biofertilizers. Consequently, in this work, we utilised rice straw to produce a more sustainable agro-industrial product. Table 8 compares the biofertilizer formulations developed in the current process technology with other studies that utilized different types of agro-industrial wastes for producing soil-nourishing agro-industrial commodities. The table also evaluates the environmental impact and product quality of the present formulations, highlighting the significance of the study. Previous research has indicated that most biofertilizers and soil-nourishing chemicals derived from agro-industrial waste have not been successful or have not been implemented at a pilot scale in laboratories or industries. The selected strains used in the current study add to their value by capitalizing on two benefits of lignocellulosic materials, namely, the hydrolysis of rice straw to produce biofertilizers. Consequently, agro-industrial commodities that were expected to compete for market share failed to develop. In summary, the comparative analysis suggests that rice straw is a promising candidate for developing biofertilizers. Table 8 The comparative analysis of present process technology with eminent studies involving different agro-industrial wastes transformed into various agro-industrial commodities having soil nourishment traits. Agro-industrial waste Process involved Microorganism involved Agro-industrial commodity generated Impact Reference Food waste Food waste inoculated with microbes in a composter at 50 ◦C for 28 days Brevibacillus borstelensis SH168 Biofertilizer 1.82×10 9 CFU/g Food waste management in addition to biofertilizer production Tsai et al. 2007 Wastewater from sweet potato starch Inoculation in 100 ml of sterilized (121°C, 20 min) SPSW and incubated at 24–32 h incubation at 30°C Paenibacillus polymyxa Biofertilizer having 9.7×10 9 CFU/ml Biofertilizer which improves the growth of tea plant Xu et al. 2014 Chicken feather waste 30 days of degradation process by 20–25% inoculum w/w Bacillus subtilis Compost Management of chicken feather Increase in N, P, K content of the soil Nagarajan et al. 2018 Caribbean pine sawdust 2.0 g Biochar adsorbed with inoculum and shaken at 150 RPM, 24 h at 30 ± 2 °C Pseudomonas sp., Serratia sp., and Kosakonia sp Biofertilizer having 1.0 × 10 7 CFU/ml Increases seedling growth nutrient in soil and growth of Allium cepa L. Blanco-Vargas et al. 2022 Chicken feather waste White chicken feathers inoculated with B. pumilus AR57 in 1% v/v; 1.25 ×10 8 CFU/ml) and incubated at 150 rpm, 37 ◦C for 28 h Bacillus pumilus AR57 Biofertilizer Enhances total phosphate and potassium solubilizers and nitrifying bacteria in the soil of Zea mays L. Jagadeesan et al. 2023 Rice Straw Consolidated bioprocessing in pilot scale fermenter at pH 6.0, temperature 30◦C for 8 days Aspergillus niger P-19 and Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 Carrier and liquid biofertilizer formulations having 4.50×10 12 CFU/g and 4.50×10 12 CFU/ml, respectively Rice straw management in addition to biofertilizer production improves both plant growth of Solanum lycopersicum and soil quality Present study The burning of rice straw is a significant issue affecting the agricultural regions of Northwestern India, including the National Capital Territory, New Delhi. As rice cultivation is a crucial aspect of India's agrarian economy and food security, a sustainable solution to manage rice straw must be developed. This study presents an innovative approach that adheres to the principles of circular economy and sustainable agriculture. By converting rice straw into carrier and liquid biofertilizers, the present work offers an appealing alternative to rice straw management. Researchers around the globe are interested in managing readily accessible rice straw and turning it into value-added products. The major focus of the researchers is to transform the rice straw into bioethanol or biogas. The fermentation industry is facing difficulty in transforming into such products because of the unusual complexity of the structure of rice straw comprising high lignin and silica. The farmers usually follow the common field practice of pathogen-free soil for the following crop after rice harvesting, several nations, including India; have adopted the practice of on-site burning of rice straw and its residue. But the same causes serious air pollution, which results in smog, fog, and a misty atmosphere and harms humans. In the context of the current study, we disclosed the use of rice straw in its natural state as the substrate for the less expensive co-production of multiple carbohydrases by a natural variant of an existing fungal strain and a bacterial strain that can produce multiple traits for plant growth promotion and can sustain in a consolidated bioprocess for the development of low-cost carrier and liquid biofertilizer. Conclusion The integrated bioprocessing strategy utilizing Aspergillus niger P-19 and Klebsiella pneumoniae AP-407 effectively hydrolyses and transforms pretreated rice straw into biofertilizers, achieving a cell count of 4.50 × 10 12 CFU/ml or 4.50 × 10 12 CFU/g within 8 days at 1:20 solid loading. This approach presents a shorter and more efficient method of rice straw management, addressing the dual challenges of managing rice straw and producing food for a growing population. The biofertilizer formulations were also shown to enhance plant growth and soil quality, demonstrating the potential for wider application in sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the method requires no external enzyme loading or carrier substances, making it both economically feasible and environmentally sound. The biotransformation of rice straw to biofertilizer formulations is a technically feasible and cost-effective method with significant potential for sustainable agriculture. Its wide application could result in the low-cost development of biofertilizers, which are in demand in the global agricultural market. Moreover, sustainable management of rice straw has ecological benefits, reducing the negative environmental impact associated with rice straw burning. Consequently, the conversion of rice straw to biofertilizer formulations presents an encouraging solution to the management of rice straw, which could have positive economic and ecological outcomes. Declarations Ethical Approval Not applicable. Consent to Participate Approved by the authors. Consent to Publish The authors approve publication of this paper. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Authors' contributions Apurav Sharma : Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing-Original Draft; Raman Soni : Supervision, Writing Review & Editing; Sanjeev Kumar Soni : Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervision, Writing-Review & Editing Funding Apurav Sharma reports financial support was provided by Panjab University. Availability of data and materials The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article. References Alabdalall AH, Almutari AA, Aldakeel SA, Albarrag AM, Aldakheel LA, Alsoufi MH, Elkomy HM (2023) Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass Using Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus Hydrolysis Enzymes through Immobilized S. cerevisiae . Energies 16(2):823 Amna Din BU, Sarfraz S, Xia Y, Kamran MA, Javed MT, Sultan T, Chaudhary HJ (2019) Mechanistic elucidation of germination potential and growth of wheat inoculated with exopolysaccharide and ACC-deaminase producing Bacillus strains under induced salinity stress. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 183:109466 Bailey MJ, Biley P, Poutanen K (1992) Inter laboratory testing of methods for assay of xylanase activity. J Biotechnol 23:257–270 Bajar S, Singh A, Bishnoi NR (2020) Exploration of low-cost agro-industrial waste substrate for cellulase and xylanase production using Aspergillus heteromorphus . Appl Water Sci 10(6):1–9 Bhattacharyya P, Bisen J, Bhaduri D, Priyadarsini S, Munda S, Chakraborti M, Nimbrayan P (2021) Turn the wheel from waste to wealth: Economic and environmental gain of sustainable rice straw management practices over field burning in reference to India. Sci Total Environ 775:145896 Bhattacharyya PN, Dutta P, Madhab M, Phukan IK, Sarmah SR, Pathak SK (2016) Isolation of potash mobilizing microorganisms in tea soil and evaluation of their efficiency in potash nutrition in tea: a novel approach. Two and a Bud 63(1):8–12 Blanco-Vargas A, Chacón-Buitrago MA, Quintero-Duque MC, Poutou-Piñales RA, Díaz-Ariza LA, Devia-Castillo CA, Pedroza-Rodríguez AM (2022) Production of pine sawdust biochar supporting phosphate-solubilizing bacteria as an alternative bioinoculant in Allium cepa L., culture. Sci Rep 12(1):12815 Calabi-Floody M, Medina J, Rumpel C, Condron LM, Hernandez M, Dumont M, de La Luz Mora M (2018) Smart fertilizers as a strategy for sustainable agriculture. Adv Agron 147:119–157 Chugh P, Kaur J, Soni R, Sharma A, Soni SK (2023) A low-cost process for efficient hydrolysis of deoiled rice bran and ethanol production using an inhouse produced multi-enzyme preparation from Aspergillus niger P-19. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 25:359–375 Dasgan HY, Aldiyab A, Elgudayem F, Ikiz B, Gruda NS (2022) Effect of biofertilizers on leaf yield, nitrate amount, mineral content and antioxidants of basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) in a floating culture. Sci Rep 12(1):1–10 Dinesh R, Anandaraj M, Kumar A, Bini YK, Subila KP, Aravind R (2015) Isolation, characterization, and evaluation of multi-trait plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for their growth promoting and disease suppressing effects on ginger. Microbiol Res 173:34–43 Ergun O, Dasgan HY, Isık O (2018) Effects of microalgae Chlorella vulgaris on hydroponically grown lettuce. Acta Hortic 1273:169–176 Gadde B, Bonnet S, Menke C, Garivait S (2009) Air pollutant emissions from rice straw open field burning in India, Thailand and the Philippines. Environ Pollut 157(5):1554–1558 Gang S, Sharma S, Saraf M, Buck M, Schumacher J (2019) Analysis of Indole-3-acetic Acid (IAA) Production in Klebsiella by LC-MS/MS and the Salkowski Method. Bio-protoc 9(9):e3230 Govindarajan M, Kwon SW, Weon HY (2007) Isolation, molecular characterization and growth-promoting activities of endophytic sugarcane diazotroph Klebsiella sp. GR9. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 23(7):997–1006 Gulati A, Paroda R, Puri S, Narain D, Ghanwat A (2023) Food System in India. Challenges, Performance and Promise. Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation. Springer, Cham, pp 813–828 Gupta M, Kiran S, Gulati A, Singh B, Tewari R (2012) Isolation and identification of phosphate solubilizing bacteria able to enhance the growth and aloin-A biosynthesis of Aloe barbadensis Miller. Microbiol Res 167(6):358–363 Jagadeesan Y, Meenakshisundaram S, Raja K, Balaiah A (2023) Sustainable and efficient-recycling approach of chicken feather waste into liquid protein hydrolysate with biostimulant efficacy on plant, soil fertility and soil microbial consortium: A perspective to promote the circular economy. Process Saf Environ Prot 170:573–583 Jain D, Navariya JK, Bhojiya AA, Singh A, Mohanty SR, Upadhyay SK (2023) Bioprospecting of novel ligninolytic bacteria for effective bioremediation of agricultural by-product and synthetic pollutant dyes. Microbiol Res 270:127330 James G (1978) Native Sherman Rockland Community College, State University of New York. Benjamin/Cummins Publishing Co, pp 75–80 Kaur J, Chugh P, Soni R, Soni SK (2020) A low-cost approach for the generation of enhanced sugars and ethanol from rice straw using in-house produced cellulase-hemicellulase consortium from A. niger P-19. Bioresour Technol Rep 11:100469 Kayasth M, Gera R, Dudeja SS, Sharma PK, Kumar V (2014) Studies on salinization in Haryana soils on free-living nitrogen‐fixing bacterial populations and their activity. J Basic Microbiol 54(3):170–179 Khurana A (2020) In: Kumar V (ed) State of Organic and Natural Farming: Challenges and Possibilities. Centre for Science and Environment, New New Delhi. https://cuts-cart.org/pdf/state-of-organic-and-natural-farming-2020.pdf Laskar AH, Maurya AS, Singh V, Gurjar BR, Liang MC (2020) A new perspective of probing the level of pollution in the megacity New Delhi affected by crop residue burning using the triple oxygen isotope technique in atmospheric CO 2 . Environ Pollut 263:114542 Louden BC, Haarmann D, Lynne AM (2011) Use of blue agar CAS assay for siderophore detection. J Microbiol Biol Educ 12(1):51–53 Luo Y, Liang J, Zeng G, Chen M, Mo D, Li G, Zhang D (2018) Seed germination test for toxicity evaluation of compost: Its roles, problems and prospects. Waste Manage 71:109–114 Mandels M, Weber J (1969) The production of cellulases. Adv Chem Ser 95:391–414 Mandels M, Andreotti RE, Roche C (1976) Measurements of saccharifying cellulases. Biotechnol Biophy Symp 6:21–23 Miller GL (1959) Use of DNS reagent for determination of reducing sugars. Anal Chem 31:426–428 Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare (2022) Fourth Advance Estimate of principal crops in the country. https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/aug/doc202281792701.pdf Muhammad I, Lv JZ, Yang L, Ahmad S, Farooq S, Zeeshan M, Zhou XB (2022) Low irrigation water minimizes the nitrate nitrogen losses without compromising the soil fertility, enzymatic activities and maize growth. BMC Plant Biol 22(1):1–13 Nagarajan S, Eswaran P, Masilamani RP, Natarajan H (2018) Chicken feather compost to promote the plant growth activity by using keratinolytic bacteria. Waste Biomass Valorization 9(4):531–538 Namnuch N, Thammasittirong A, Thammasittirong SNR (2021) Lignocellulose hydrolytic enzymes production by Aspergillus flavus KUB2 using submerged fermentation of sugarcane bagasse waste. Mycology 12(2):119–127 National Statistical Office (2020) Periodic Labour Force Survey: July 2018–June 2019. MOSPI, Government of India, New Delhi National Policy for Management of Crop Residues (NPMCR), Minist. Agric. Dep. Agric. Coop., Natural Resour. Manag. Div. Krishi Bhawan. (2014) March 13, 2021 https://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/NPMCR_1.pdf L Olguin-Maciel E, Singh A, Chable-Villacis R, Tapia-Tussell R, Ruiz HA (2020) Consolidated bioprocessing, an innovative strategy towards sustainability for biofuels production from crop residues: an overview. Agronomy 10(11):1834 Passarelli M, Bongiorno G, Cucino V, Cariola A (2023) Adopting new technologies during the crisis: An empirical analysis of agricultural sector. Technol Forecast Soc Change 186:122106 Pretty J (2008) Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363(1491):447–465 Rastogi S, Soni R, Kaur J, Soni SK (2016) Unravelling the capability of Pyrenophora phaeocomes S-1 for the production of ligno-hemicellulolytic enzyme cocktail and simultaneous bio-delignification of rice straw for enhanced enzymatic saccharification. Bioresour Technol 222:458–469 Rijavec T, Lapanje A (2016) Hydrogen cyanide in the rhizosphere: not suppressing plant pathogens, but rather regulating availability of phosphate. Front Microbiol 7:1785 Roslan MAM, Sobri ZM, Zuan ATK, Cheak SC, Rahman NAA (2022) Bioprospecting microwave-alkaline hydrolysate cocktail of defatted soybean meal and jackfruit peel biomass as carrier additive of molasses-alginate-bead biofertilizer. Sci Rep 12(1):1–14 Sadaf A, Khare SK (2014) Production of Sporotrichum thermophile xylanase by solidstate fermentation utilizing deoiled Jatropha curcas seed cake and its application in xylooligosaccharide synthesis. Bioresour Technol 153:126–130 Santner A, Calderon-Villalobos LI, Estelle M (2009) Plant hormones are versatile chemical regulators of plant growth. Nat Chem Biol 5:301–307 Sharma A, Saini H, Thakur B, Soni R, Soni SK (2023) Consolidated bioprocessing of biodegradable municipal solid waste for transformation into biofertilizer formulations.Biomass Convers Biorefin1–15 Singh R, Patel M (2022) Effective utilization of rice straw in value-added by-products: A systematic review of state of art and future perspectives. Biomass Bioenergy 159:106411 Singh R, Srivastava M, Shukla A (2016) Environmental sustainability of bioethanol production from rice straw in India: a review. Renew Sustainable Energy Rev 54:202–216 Sobti RC, Sharma A, Soni SK (2022) Applications of Biotechnological Techniques in Mitigating Environmental Concerns. Genomic, Proteomics, and Biotechnology. CRC Press, pp 249–312 Soni SK, Manhas R, Jakhar Y, Sharma A, Soni R (2022c) Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Current Trends and Future Perspective. Genomic, Proteomics, and Biotechnology. CRC Press, pp 331–356 Soni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2022a) Fungal cocktail of multiple hydrolytic enzymes and method of production thereof.Indian patent202213059023. https://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus Soni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2022b) Method for preparation of stable microbial inoculants.Indian patent202211050475. https://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus Soni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2023) Microbial Enzyme Systems in the Production of Second Generation Bioethanol. Sustainability 15(4):3590 Stålbrand H, Siika-aho M, Viikari L (1993) Purification and characterization of two β-mannanases from Trichoderma reesei . J Biotechnol 29:229–242 Sun R, Ding J, Li H, Wang X, Li W, Li K, Sun S (2023) Mitigating nitrate leaching in cropland by enhancing microbial nitrate transformation through the addition of liquid biogas slurry. Agric Ecosyst Environ 345:108324 Tiquia SM (2002) Evaluation of organic matter and nutrient composition of partially decomposed and composed and composted spent pig litter. Environ Technol 24:97–107 Tsai SH, Liu CP, Yang SS (2007) Microbial conversion of food wastes for biofertilizer production with thermophilic lipolytic microbes. Renew Energ 32(6):904–915 World Development Indicator (2019) Poverty and equity data portal. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from povertydata.worldbank.org : https://pip.worldbank.org/home Xu S, Bai Z, Jin B, Xiao R, Zhuang G (2014) Bioconversion of wastewater from sweet potato starch production to Paenibacillus polymyxa biofertilizer for tea plants. Sci Rep 4(1):1–7 Zainudin MHM, Singam JT, Sazili AQ, Shirai Y, Hassan MA (2022) Indigenous cellulolytic aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacterial community enhanced the composting of rice straw and chicken manure with biochar addition. Sci Rep 12(1):5930 Zhao S, Qiu S, Xu X, Ciampitti IA, Zhang S, He P (2019) Change in straw decomposition rate and soil microbial community composition after straw addition in different long-term fertilization soils. Appl Soil Ecol 138:123–133 Ethics, Declarations Supplementary Files floatimage1.jpeg Graphical Abstract Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-2797131","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":200263311,"identity":"d78ea1ab-0dbc-4907-906e-e6cabb72e009","order_by":0,"name":"Apurav Sharma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Panjab University","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Apurav","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharma","suffix":""},{"id":200263312,"identity":"8f9fb29f-8152-4b05-a9b0-5dbbfd48b388","order_by":1,"name":"Raman Soni","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"DAV College Chandigarh","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Raman","middleName":"","lastName":"Soni","suffix":""},{"id":200263313,"identity":"79fcb13f-3a1c-4084-a5d2-65c72f7eaf4e","order_by":2,"name":"Sanjeev Kumar Soni","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAr0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJCCAwwHbKBMA+K1pJGoBajpMAmOkm/vPXjwx5nzeQYHmB9+YCi4Q1iLwZlzCYd5btwuNjjAZizBYPCMCC0SOQaHGT7cTtxwgMEMyCXChfIzcgwO/vhwDqiF/RtxWhhu5Bgc4LlxAKiFh0hbDM6cMTjMcya5WPIwT7FEAlEOa+8x/vjjmF0e3/H2jR8+/CEhtBMYmMEkCYAkxaNgFIyCUTDCAAAN2D9VNUn2vQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1999-7061","institution":"Panjab University","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sanjeev","middleName":"Kumar","lastName":"Soni","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-04-10 07:01:31","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":37154616,"identity":"97a4b720-c5b5-407a-9b8f-b263612fa7c3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-05-17 19:36:24","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":247038,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe process technology demonstrating various steps involved in the transformation of rice straw into both carrier and liquid-biofertilizer formulations.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2797131/v1/4cf39addcf1e9a5ef1fb5072.jpeg"},{"id":37154615,"identity":"ac446a80-4253-4e3b-887f-ca189ef20ee3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-05-17 19:36:24","extension":"jpeg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":136019,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuantitative analysis of available phosphate (P\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e5\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e), available potassium (K\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eO), ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/sub\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-N) in the soil during the soil growth experiment.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage3.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2797131/v1/bb26d58fa61818cdcf6138aa.jpeg"},{"id":38136115,"identity":"92e088c4-0a40-4e68-8a31-35ef3e4d1327","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-06-07 05:48:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":902331,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2797131/v1/dce61333-a84e-4645-9835-8d3db5e5b92d.pdf"},{"id":37154617,"identity":"866875bf-b884-4c3b-98b8-f61ac3527b66","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-05-17 19:36:24","extension":"jpeg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":323458,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGraphical Abstract\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2797131/v1/86552ad9c0758d337d97ab43.jpeg"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Rice straw to biofertilizer formulations: Fostering waste management for circular economy","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe concept of agricultural sustainability aims to maximize the benefits of crop, livestock, and agroecological management, as emphasized by scholars such as Pretty (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) and Passarelli et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The phrase \"sustainable agriculture\" has historically signified a more ecologically sound and socially responsible method of agricultural production in Western nations. It shows an economically successful, environmentally safe, and socially acceptable food, fiber, or fuel production system (Singh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). The concerns related to sustainable agricultural systems revolve around the necessity to develop technologies and practices that do not harm natural resources or services, are practical and efficient for farmers, and contribute to the improvement of food production (Passarelli et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndia is a rural economy, where 66% population resides in rural areas and agriculture employs 42% working population contributing 16.5% to the country\u0026rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP) (World Development Indicator \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; National Statistical Office \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Asian nations, the largest contributors of rice (\u003cem\u003eOryza sativa\u003c/em\u003e), produced 721.4 MT and 90.48% of annual global rice output in 2011, resulting in 973.89 MT of rice straw in the fields (Singh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). India following China being the second major contributor of rice over the globe produced 130.29 MT of rice in 2021\u0026ndash;2022, which was 13.85 MT higher than the last five years\u0026rsquo; average production of 116.44 MT (Ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In India, more than 100 MT of rice straw residue is produced as a byproduct each year, with around 60% of this residue being burnt on-site (Bhattacharyya et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNew Delhi, the national capital territory of India and its surrounding areas, suffer from severe air quality deterioration due to the significant release of pollutants, including CO2, caused by the burning of rice straws from Punjab and Haryana over a short period. This situation is exacerbated by favorable meteorological conditions, particularly wind blowing from the North-West to South-East direction, as stated by Laskar et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Each year, more than 15\u0026nbsp;million tons of rice straw are burned in Punjab alone. Farmers burn rice straw in their fields to prepare for the next crop, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, according to Gadde et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). The chemical composition of rice straw, which mainly comprises cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin, silica, and ash content, varies depending on the type of rice and the growing season. Rice straw is the most abundant source of cellulose among all agricultural crop residues globally, with cellulose accounting for 33\u0026ndash;47%, hemicellulose for 19\u0026ndash;27%, lignin for 5\u0026ndash;24%, and silica for 18.3%, as reported by Singh et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe issue of rice straw leftovers being burned on-farm is particularly severe, especially with automated harvesting in the rice crop cropping system. Rice straw mainly consists of lignocellulose, which is made up of complex and tough-to-decompose polymers like cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. This complexity presents a significant challenge to the composting process, ultimately impacting the quality and productivity of the resulting compost (Zainudin et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Studies have reported that burning one ton of rice straw causes the loss of 5.5 kg of Nitrogen, 2.3 kg of Phosphorus, and 25 kg of Potassium. Conversely, blending or leaving rice straw in agricultural field soil has been found to increase soil nutrient availability (Singh and Patel, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe selection of rice straw as a raw material for this study was based on its widespread availability in India, its sustainability, and its low cost. The use of rice straw aligns with the principles of sustainable agriculture, as it does not compete with human food resources. The fungal strain \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 was chosen for its ability to produce multiple enzymes (Kaur et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), while the bacterial strain \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 was selected for its ability to fix nitrogen, solubilize and mobilize phosphorus and potassium, and promote plant growth (Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e). The study aimed to determine the efficacy of the enzyme preparation produced in-house in saccharifying polysaccharides in rice straw and de-oiled rice bran and to explore the possibility of fermenting sugars into biofertilizers using biodegradable solid waste. Our research group had already evaluated the application of the in-house produced enzyme preparation in the saccharification of polysaccharides present in rice straw and de-oiled rice bran (Rastogi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e, Kaur et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Chugh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) and also explored the possibility of the fermentation of sugars into biofertilizer by utilizing biodegradable solid waste (Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e; Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022c\u003c/span\u003e, Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The present study deals with the process of transforming rice straw into biofertilizer using \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 and \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 as part of the study aiming to develop a low-cost process for the bioconversion of rice straw into biofertilizer, a highly acceptable alternative for the synthetic fertilizers for sustainable agriculture.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe article's innovation lies in its clear recommendation for the sustainable conversion of rice straw into biofertilizer as a responsible means of waste disposal and a viable option for adopting the circular economy model. This approach is deemed more sustainable than traditional methods such as open burning, composting, or bioenergy, as it represents a novel methodology and the first of its kind to explore the conversion of rice straw into both carrier and liquid-based biofertilizer formulations employing a single process technology. The proposed solution is in line with the UN's Sustainability Goal 12: \"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns\", which aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materials and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMicroorganisms\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe fungal strain of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 capable of producing multiple carbohydrase-producing potentials comprising cellulase, xylanase, and mannanase by solid-state fermentation of rice straw (Kaur et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) was already available in the laboratory. The bacterial strain \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 was selected for its ability of nitrogen fixation (Kayasth et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), HCN production (Dinesh et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), phosphate solubilization (Gupta et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), potassium mobilization (Bhattacharyya et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), siderophore production (Louden et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), ammonia (Amna et al. 2019) and IAA production (Gang et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) which was already available in the laboratory (Soni et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e, Sharma et al., \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePretreatment of rice straw\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe homogenized blend of 100 g of finely crushed rice straw and 1 l of 0.25 N NaOH solution was left at room temperature (25 to 30\u0026deg;C) overnight. After 60 minutes of steam treatment at 15 psi, it was repeatedly washed with tap water by bringing the pH to about 6.5 to 7.0 to neutralize the results of the chemical treatment (Kaur et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Jain et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The residue left out from pre-treatment was stored in a cold storage facility till further usage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvaluation of\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BoldItalic\"\u003eA. niger\u003c/span\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eP-19 for production of multiple hydrolytic enzymes by submerged state fermentation of pretreated rice straw\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10 g of the pretreated rice straw were taken in different sets of 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks and dispensed with Mandel-Weber's salt medium (Mandels and Weber, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1969\u003c/span\u003e) to maintain solid loading of 1:10. The flasks were autoclaved for 15 min at 15 psi which was later inoculated with 2.5 ml of spore suspension of \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 having 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e spores/ml followed by incubation at 28\u0026deg;C for 10 days under submerged fermentation conditions. At regular intervals of 24 h, the flasks were retrieved, and liquid content was centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 10 min at 4\u0026deg;C. Enzymes were obtained from the cell-free supernatants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cell-free supernatants were assayed for cellulases enzymes system in terms of endo-\u0026beta;1,4-glucanase, exo-\u0026beta;-1,4-\u0026beta;-glucanase, and \u0026beta;-1,4-glucosidase using 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Whatman filter paper No. 1 (1 \u0026times; 6 cm strip) and 1% salicin made by suspending in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 4.0 as the substrates (Mandels et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1976\u003c/span\u003e). The activities were expressed in terms CMCase, FPase, and \u0026beta;-glucosidase. Furthermore, the hemicellulases were assayed in terms of endo-\u0026beta;-1,4-xylanase and endo\u0026beta;-1,4-mannanase using 1% birchwood xylan (Bailey et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e) and 1% guar gum (Stalbrand et al. 1993) made by suspending in 0.1 M acetate buffer, pH 4.0 and the activities were expressed in terms of xylanase and mannanase respectively. Enzyme productivities have been expressed in terms of International Units per ml of the substrate (IU/ml), where one unit of the enzyme component is equivalent to the enzyme that releases one \u0026micro; mole of the end product either of glucose, xylose or mannose in one min under standard enzyme assay conditions at temperature 50\u0026deg;C and pH 4.0 using dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) reagent as described by Miller (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1959\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStandardization of various cultural and environmental parameters affecting consolidated bioprocessing of pretreated rice straw for preparation of biofertilizer formulations\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsolidated bioprocessing was adopted for the formulation of biofertilizer by simultaneous production of hydrolytic enzymes from \u003cem\u003eA\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 and growth of biofertilizer strain \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 by utilizing the sugars from hydrolysis of rice straw. The CFU/ml of \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 was estimated according to James (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1978\u003c/span\u003e) and enzymatic activity was estimated as discussed earlier in section 2.2. The biofertilizer productivity was optimized by studying the effects of different parameters including temperature, pH, and solid loading. For this 10 g of pretreated rice straw was dispensed in a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask and moistened with distilled water and inoculated with 2.5 spore suspension of \u003cem\u003eA\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 having 1 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e spores/ml and 2.5 ml of \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 having 1 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml. 10 g of pretreated rice straw was moistened with 100 ml of three buffer systems (0.1 M) including Acetate buffer (pH 3.0\u0026ndash;5.0) to maintain acidic pH condition, Phosphate buffer (pH 6.0\u0026ndash;7.0) to maintain neutral pH condition, and Tris-HCl buffer (pH 9.0\u0026ndash;10.0) to maintain alkaline pH condition, were used to study the biofertilizer production at the pH ranging from 3.0\u0026ndash;10.0. The effect of temperature on biofertilizer production was studied by evaluation at different temperatures ranging from 25 to 40\u0026deg;C. The effect of moisture content was studied by varying the solid loading from 1:10 to 1:50.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eUpscaling of biofertilizer production at 100 l pilot scale fermenter\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe optimized parameters for the biofertilizer production process, using rice straw, were validated in 5 l and 20 l laboratory fermenters (data not shown) before upscaling in a 100 l fermenter. The 100 l fermenter was fed with 4 kg pretreated rice straw and 80 l distilled water which was sterilized at 121 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC at 15 psi for 20 min to maintain solid to liquid ratio of 1:20. The content in the fermenter was inoculated with 2 l spore suspension of \u003cem\u003eA\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eniger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 and 2 l of \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 with the cell count of 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e spores/ml, 1 x 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml respectively after lowering the temperature to 30 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC. The contents in the fermenter were continuously stirred at 200 rpm with temperature and pH kept at 30\u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC and 6.0 respectively for 8 days. The current optimized process technology for transforming rice straw into both carrier and liquid-based biofertilizer formulations is depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e demonstrating the various steps involved.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePhysico-chemical and biological analysis during consolidated bioprocessing\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery 24 hours, the physical variables for consolidated bioprocessing were assessed. After every 24 hours, the biological and chemical analysis, which included enzymatic activity, and microbial count, was performed on hydrolysate which was collected each morning in a container. The chemical and biological parameters which were analyzed during consolidated bioprocessing are described with the standard method used in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhysico-chemical and biological parameters analyzed during consolidated bioprocessing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/caption\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSr. No.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMethod employed\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnzyme productivity (IU/ml)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs described above in section (Quantitative estimation of multiple carbohydrases on rice straw described in section earlier 2.3.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal Reducing Sugar (mg/ml)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDinitrosalicylic acid method (Miller, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1959\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal Glucose (mg/ml)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGOD-PAP method\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe kit containing reagents was purchased from Reckon Diagnostics, Pvt. Ltd., India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReagent 1: Glucose oxidase, peroxidase, 4 \u0026ndash;aminoantipyrine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReagent 2: Phosphate buffer pH 7.0, phenol Reagent 3: Glucose standard 1 mg/ml\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking Reagent : Dissolve one bottle of Reagent 1 with one bottle (100 ml) of Reagent 2\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCell count of micro-organisms (CFU/ml)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sample from the fermenter was diluted serially up to 10\u0026ndash;15 dilution and 0.1 ml sample was inoculated on Standard plate agar for determination of microbial cell count. Inoculated plates were kept in an incubator for 24 h at 37\u0026deg;C, and 96 h at 28\u0026deg;C. The colony forming unit (CFU) per gram was estimated according to James (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1978\u003c/span\u003e):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViable cell count (CFU/ml) = (number of colonies\u0026times; dilution factor)/volume of inoculum\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeparation of liquid and carrier-based biofertilizer formulations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe contents after consolidated bioprocessing were filtered by passing through the nylon double mesh sieve having 250-micron mesh size and the resulting filtrate, taken as the liquid biofertilizer was stored in glass bottles in a cold room facility available in the Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh till further use. The solid residue left out from liquid filtrate was squeezed through a muslin cloth, packed in air-tight polythene bags as a carrier-based biofertilizer, and stored in a cold room facility.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeed germination test\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe seed germination (SG) and the relative seed germination (RSG), were analyzed from equations (1) and (2) (Luo et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). The in-vitro seed germination test or vigor index was analyzed from Eq.\u0026nbsp;(3) (Jagadeesan et al. \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). 10 tomato seeds (triplicate) were soaked in 10% (w/v and v/v) homogenously soaked filter paper with liquid and carrier biofertilizer which were kept at 30 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC for 1 h. Later the 15 seeds for each set were transferred to a sterile petri plate containing pre-wetted cotton with sterile double distilled water and incubated at 30 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC for 6 days which were analyzed for vigor index, the seed germination (SG) and the relative seed germination (RSG), by using the following equations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePlant growth experiment for evaluation of biofertilizer formulations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA plant growth system experiment was conducted for assessing the effect of the carrier and liquid biofertilizer formulations on the development of plants from November 2022 till mid of January 2023. The entire experiment was carried out at the Department of Microbiology, South Campus, Panjab University, Chandigarh. The 10 seeds of plants \u003cem\u003eSolanum lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e (Tomato) for each set were surface sterilized using 70% ethanol and rinsed three times using sterile distilled water. Further, the seeds were shade dried for 30 min, and later all the respective seeds were sowed in separate pots having a diameter of 28 cm and depth of 20 cm filled with 2500 g of soil sterilized by autoclaving at 15 psi for 1 h. The biofertilizer was applied by soil treatments method for which seeds were initially sowed and after 2 hours 2g of carrier-based biofertilizer was blended in soil and 2ml of liquid-based biofertilizer initially suspended in 100ml of water sprinkled on soil containing seeds. The same treatment was repeated on the 15th day after taking soil and plant samples. For each treatment, three replicate pots were maintained with a natural photoperiod (12 h) and watered with tap water for 45 days. After 25, 50, and 75 days of sowing and on maturity, the three replicates of each treatment were harvested and various factors were assessed. Morphometric analyses of the host plant for the different treatments were assessed after fifteen, thirty, and forty-five days of sowing and on maturity which includes plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g) and root fresh weight (g).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe relative increase yield in each morphometric character is described in the following Eq.\u0026nbsp;(4).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuantitative Analysis of Soil\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soil was tested for macro and micro-nutrients testing kit procured from Himedia, India for determining organic carbon in the soil in terms of % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e), available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) in the soil in terms of kg per hectare (kg/ha).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEvaluation for the production of multiple carbohydrases on pretreated rice straw\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fungal strain \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 shows the potential of producing multiple carbohydrases on cheap substrate i.e. pretreated rice straw in submerged fermentation at 1:10 solid loading, pH 6.0, 28 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC, and was selected as a strong contender for consolidated bioprocessing. The evolution of multiple hydrolytic enzyme activities of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 is depicted in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The enzyme activity is presented in terms of IU/ ml which is defined as the amount of enzyme required to catalyze the conversion of 1\u0026micro;mole of substrate per minute under specified enzyme assay conditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 showed the maximum peak of CMCase was 1.415\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.1250 IU/ml on the 6th day, maximum FPase (0.415\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.0250 IU/ml) on the 4th day, and β-glucosidase (0.715\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.0210 IU/ml) after 6th day, respectively. Xylanase production showed maximum production (2.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.0550 IU/ml) after the 6th day and mannanase production was maximum (2.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.2800 IU/ml) after the 6th day.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvaluation of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 for the production of multiple carbohydrases.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCMCase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFPase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eβ-glucosidase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eXylanase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMannanse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.045\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.007\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.015\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.500\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.412\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.600\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0180\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.065\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.204\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.015\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.540\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.850\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.2500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.062\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.415\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.014\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.652\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0260\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.950\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.1800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.750 \u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.018\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.415\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0190\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.125\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.850\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.4800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.415\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.1250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.018\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.715\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0210\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.750\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0550\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.450\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.2800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.780\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.009\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.034\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0030\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.825\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.755\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.3500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.358\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.008\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.520\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.250\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.250\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0040\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.002\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.220\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.180\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.002\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.055\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.150\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eColumns represent the result of mean and standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOur previous reports demonstrated that \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 has the huge potential of producing multiple carbohydrases including cellulases enzyme system comprising of CMCase, Fpase, β-glucosidase, and hemicellulases complex comprising of Xylanase and Mannanse (Chugh et al. 2016; Kaur et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Chugh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Kaur et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) showed the potential of rice straw for the production of cellulases-hemicellulases enzyme system in solid-state fermentation and recently another study in our group study by Chugh et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) showed the potential of deoiled rice bran as the substrate for enzyme production by solid-state fermentation. \u003cem\u003eAspergillus\u003c/em\u003e spp. is known for its potential of producing multiple carbohydrases on various biodegradable solid wastes and lignocellulosic biomass on solid state, surface, and submerged fermentation processes (Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Alabdalall et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Alabdalall et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) using \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAspergillus flavus\u003c/em\u003e obtained a maximum CMCase of 1.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 IU/ml at 20\u0026deg;C which reduces to 1.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.010.01 IU/ml at 30\u0026deg;C, whereas, in present study 1.415\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.025 IU/ml of CMCase was obtained on the 6th day of submerged fermentation using rice straw as substrate. Another study by Namnuch et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) observed 0.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.00 IU/ml of FPase using rice straw as a substrate in submerged state fermentation with a potential fungal strain of \u003cem\u003eAspergillus flavu\u003c/em\u003es. Bajar et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) got the maximum xylanase production of 6.6 to 11.6 IU/ml on Rice straw (1\u0026ndash;5% (w/v)) mixed with 2\u0026ndash;10% (w/v) anaerobically treated distillery spent wash using \u003cem\u003eAspergillus heteromorphus\u003c/em\u003e. The optimal pH for consolidated bioprocessing was observed to be 6.0 for the maximal enzyme production and rice straw hydrolysis which were by prior study in our laboratory where maximum enzyme production of xylanase and mannanse were obtained at pH 5.5 for the hydrolysis of rice straw (Rastogi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). The organism produced more enzymes at the beginning than at later phases, indicating that the carbon supply is the primary determinant of elevated enzyme activity. The decline in yields with increasing incubation duration could be attributed to catabolic repression or carbon supply depletion (Rasotgi et al. 2016; Kaur et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Chugh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Until now, by examining the time course of enzyme production and nutrients supplementation, it is possible to improve enzyme productivity even more. The present study thus unveils the optimal conditions and potential of strain \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 for the production of multiple carbohydrates on rice straw.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePlant growth-promoting traits of\u003c/b\u003e \u003cspan type=\"BoldItalic\" class=\"BoldItalic\" name=\"Emphasis\"\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/span\u003e \u003cb\u003eAP-407\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe bacterial strain, \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 was isolated from the rhizospheric soil of healthy plants in Panjab University campus. The \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 showed positive results for its nitrogen-fixing ability, HCN production, phosphate (P) solubilization, siderophore production, potassium (K) mobilization, ammonia production, and IAA production depicted in as already deposited in the International depository at MTCC, Chandigarh, India which is already disclosed in Indian patent application number 202211050475 (Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e; Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumerous rhizosphere bacteria have positive impacts on plant growth and health because the rhizosphere is a hotspot for microbial activity. Bacterial strains from the genera \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eSerratia\u003c/em\u003e have a high potential for use as plant growth promoters due to their stress resistance and metal tolerance in soil (Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022c\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e showed positive attributes in fixing nitrogen, solubilizing phosphate, and mobilizing potassium from unavailable to available form to plants. Along with this, \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e also demonstrated a strong capacity to create the phytohormone IAA, which largely controls plant cell division, and proliferation and lengthens roots (Santer et al. 2009; Rijavec et al. 2016) and the potential of \u003cem\u003eK\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003epneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e for the production of biofertilizer was also disclosed in our recent group study Soni et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e; Sharma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStandardization of various cultural and environmental parameters affecting consolidated bioprocessing for biofertilizer formulations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe thermo-alkaline pretreatment of rice straw preceding consolidated bioprocessing resulted in a 45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4% reduction in mass. The effect of thermo-alkaline pretreatment on rice straw has already been demonstrated by our research group earlier (Kaur et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), in which the rice straw was efficiently hydrolyzed, releasing maximum sugars as a result of thermo-alkaline pretreatments followed by enzymatic hydrolysis. Furthermore, the efficacy of similar thermo-alkaline pretreatment is also demonstrated on de-oiled rice bran by our research group (Chugh et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). The efficacy of delignification from present pretreatment is already disclosed in our prior studies on rice straw (Rastogi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Chugh et al. 2020) The effects of various physical and chemical parameters studied by altering one factor at a time for the optimization of biofertilizer production have been discussed hereafter. The usage of commercial enzyme mixtures is costly, making the entire procedure economically unsustainable. The glucose released was observed until day 4, with the maximum observed on day 4 at 0.8 mg/ml, whereas the total sugar was observed to be maximum on day 5 at 2.45 mg/ml, after which it gradually dropped and was utilized by \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407. The cell count of \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407, as well as enzyme production by \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19, is significantly affected by pH. The optimal range of pH for better enzymatic activity and significantly better CFU/ml was observed to be 6.0 on or after 6 days of submerged incubation, which raised to 3.20 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml after 6 days and remained constant after that. The optimal temperature for consolidated bioprocessing was observed to be 30\u0026deg;C. The CFU/ml of the biofertilizer strain gradually decreases after 32\u0026deg;C and below 28\u0026deg;C, whereas the CFU/ml of the biofertilizer strain decreases after pH 8.0 and below 6.0. Thus, the present optimized condition for consolidated bioprocessing in the present process is between 6.0\u0026ndash;7.0 pH and 29\u0026ndash;31\u0026deg;C. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e below depicts the significant amount of enzyme level and enhanced CFU/ml at pH 6.0 and 30\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe use of alternative sources, most notably biofertilizers, is required due to the high cost of generating fertilizer and the pollution caused by the usage of chemical fertilizers. No matter the formulation or dosage, applying biofertilizers to the soil are competitive with chemical formulations and thereby improves a wide range of biological features (Sobti et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022a\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022b\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). CBP combines fermentation, saccharification, and enzyme synthesis into a single set. Utilizing this strategy primarily serves to save expenses while enhancing efficiency. CBP systems reduce maintenance and capital expenses while also reducing the number of unit operations (Olguin-Maciel et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Soni et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022a\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003eb\u003c/span\u003e). The consolidated bioprocessing approach thus successfully transforms the rice straw into biofertilizer formulations within 10 days of the processing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eConsolidated bioprocessing for transforming rice straw into biofertilizer at pH 6.0 and 30\u003c/b\u003e \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC \u003cb\u003e(solid loading 1:10).\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCMCase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFPase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eβ-glucosidase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eXylanase\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMannanse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer (CFU/ml)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.015\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.017\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.045\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0030\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.850\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0014\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.057\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.312\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.1800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.112\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0110\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.2 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.055\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.404\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.115\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0240\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.440\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.285\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.15 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.074\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0060\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.525\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.214\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0430\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.752\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0260\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.915\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0180\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.05 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.823\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0180\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.418\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0370\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.615\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0290\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.925\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0750\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.950\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0450\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.920\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.118\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0170\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.816\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0410\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.250\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.5600\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.450\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.1250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.708\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0340\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.029\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0030\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.084\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0190\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.850\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.2000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.850\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.1300\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.588\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0870\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.058\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.500\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.325\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.205\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0240\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.035\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0007\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.750\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.185\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.094\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0021\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.023\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0006\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.095\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.115\u0026plusmn;\u0026nbsp;.0080\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eColumns represent the result of mean and standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe optimal solid loading during consolidated bioprocessing for biofertilizer production was observed to be 1:20 in contrast to 1:10. The CFU/ml decreases after 1:30. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e depicts the CFU/ml at different solid loading. Enzyme production during submerged-state fermentation is impacted by both high and low moisture concentrations. Excessive moisture reduces porosity and encourages stickiness, which reduces oxygen transport and heat dissipation. Conversely, low moisture reduces the solubility of nutrients in the solid matrix, which inhibits microbial development (Sadaf and Khare, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). For maximal enzyme titers and improved CFU/ml for the generation of biofertilizer, the optimum moisture level is thus essential. The optimal solid loading in the present work is obtained to be 1:20 which increases the CFU/ml from 1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml to 4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml under standardized conditions of pH 6.0 (pH range 6.0\u0026ndash;7.0) and temperature 30 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC (temperature range 29\u0026ndash;31 \u003csup\u003eo\u003c/sup\u003eC), the relatively lower cell count of biofertilizer microorganisms above 1:30 can be attributed to lower nutrients at much higher dilution which is not found suitable for the microbial count in present work.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of different solid loading on the bacterial count of biofertilizer.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDays\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSolid loadings\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1:10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1:20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1:30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1:40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1:50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCFU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.00\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.84 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.78 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.48\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.20\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.45\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.61 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.30 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.48 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.15\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.15\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.13 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.91 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.04 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e6\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.05\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.57 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.80 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.61 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.30 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.15\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.45\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.30\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.20\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.57\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.20\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.20\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e10\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\"\u0026times;\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.20\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe liquid and carrier biofertilizer were separated after 8 days of consolidated bioprocessing which were packed, sealed, and stored later on in a cold room facility available in the Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh already depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The final cell count of both liquid biofertilizer with the final amount of 79.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.200 l and carrier biofertilizer with the final amount of 300\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.30 g was observed to be 4.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml and 4.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g before storage. The cell count of liquid biofertilizer reduces to 2.10 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e11\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml while the cell count of carrier biofertilizer reduces to 2.15 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g after 6 months of storage. After 10 months of storage, the cell count of carrier biofertilizer showed some significant drop and was observed to be 2.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g, whereas liquid biofertilizer showed a good shelf life and was carrying 2.20 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe desperate requirement in the agro-industrial sector is biofertilizers with a long shelf life, convenient, and controlled dispersion of the investigated microorganisms. The recovery of natural, low-cost proteins and carbohydrates from agricultural biomass offers considerable potential (Roslan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The current method made use of the liquid biofertilizer formulation from the abovementioned procedure as well as the free rice straw as the carrier for inoculum adsorption. Because it contains a lot of carbon and other micronutrients, rice straw serves as a stabilizing supply of these elements. The current study also complies with the rules and requirements of FCO (India), which state that the minimum CFU should be 1 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e cells per ml of liquid biofertilizer or 5 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e cells per g of powder, granules, or carrier material after six months (Khurana and Kumar, 2020). The present work shows the extended shelf life of both fertilizers after 10 months of storage which were observed to be 2.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g for the carrier, whereas liquid biofertilizer showed even better shelf life and was carrying 2.20 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml. The better CFU/ml and CFU/g of biofertilizer are attributed to the better pretreatment by NaOH which open the complex cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin structure followed by even better enzymatic hydrolysis which releases the soluble sugar utilized by biofertilizer strain, these results are supported by the findings of Roslan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The CFU/ml and CFU/g of biofertilizer were even better compared to the biofertilizer developed by Xu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), who observed a maximum of 9.7 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml when prepared from wastewater from sweet potato starch.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe prepared biofertilizer formulations carried a healthy amount of microbial count which has plant growth-promoting traits. Overall, the nutrients from rice straw hydrolysis and plant growth-promoting traits of biofertilizer microorganisms make a better substitute in comparison to traditional fertilizers and biofertilizers. The characteristics of rice straw hydrolysate and biofertilizers formulations developed from rice straw hydrolysate using present process technology are depicted in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. The straw hydrolysate itself is enriched with various micronutrients released from pretreatment. Furthermore, the inclusion of \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 significantly enhanced the chemical and biological characteristics of rice straw hydrolysate.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the rice straw hydrolysate (after pretreatment) and biofertilizer formulations (prepared from pretreated rice straw).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter (s)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStraw Hydrolysate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier Biofertilizer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid Biofertilizer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eViable Count\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIAA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.70 \u0026micro;g/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.20\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.65 \u0026micro;g/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHCN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e+\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e+\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSiderophore\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHydroxymate(+)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHydroxymate(+)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.0 mg/kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eK\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.0 mg/kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.0 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eColumns represent the result of mean and standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSeed germination test and plant growth experiment\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe prepared carrier-based and liquid biofertilizer significantly enhanced the seed germination and relative seed germination of tomato seeds. The liquid-based biofertilizer showed 86.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.40% seed germination in comparison to the control set which showed 46.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.40% seed germination depicted in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. The fastest vigor index was observed in liquid biofertilizer-treated seeds which were followed by carrier biofertilizer depicted in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e. Jagadeesan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) recently prepared the biofertilizer using chicken feather waste which was enriched with a biofertilizer strain of \u003cem\u003eBacillus pumilus.\u003c/em\u003e The present study results overlie with the results of Jagadeesan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), in terms of enhancement in vigor index and seed germination of \u003cem\u003eSolanum lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e (Tomato) as biofertilizer formulations shorten the growth span of seeds.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffects of liquid and carrier-based biofertilizer on seeds of \u003cem\u003eS. lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e Seed germination (SG) and Relative seed germination (RSG).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreatment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of Seed germinated\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(out of a total of 15)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeed germination\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(SG %)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative seed germination\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(RSG %)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVigor Index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e144.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid biofertilizer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;4.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e185.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e536.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier biofertilizer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e373.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eColumns represent the result of mean and standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth liquid-based and carrier-based biofertilizers had a positive impact on all morphometric traits of \u003cem\u003eS. lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e, including plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g). The relative yield was used to determine the actual increase in yield in each morphometric trait of the plant, whereby after 20 days, two plants from each pot were taken to observe the average increase in yield of the trait. The percentage relative increase in yield in carrier-based biofertilizer after 60 days was 109.2%, 111.6%, 104.4%, 123.9%, 126.5%, and 122.5% for plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g), respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage relative increase yield in liquid-based biofertilizer after 60 days was 133.3%, 144.7%, 110.1%, 155.1%, 147.1%, and 258% for plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g), respectively. The results indicate that the liquid biofertilizer performed better than the carrier-based biofertilizer, as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUtilizing bio-fertilizers improves the nutrient uptake of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus), and K (potassium), offering a viable and ecologically acceptable method of improving crop yields, quality, and antioxidant compounds with less effort (Dasgan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Today's widespread use of organic and mineral supplements boosts crop yields and enhances plant nutrition (Calabi et al. 2018). Mineral fertilizers may be immediately assimilated by plants, but organic fertilizers cannot. Therefore, before being used, these chemicals must be broken down by efficient microorganisms (Zhao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Due to their ecologically friendly practices, effectiveness in supplying plant nutrition, and declining costs for mineral fertilization, bio-fertilizers have recently gained popularity in soilless growing systems (Ergun et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). Adhering to these statements the \u003cem\u003eK. pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 based biofertilizers significantly enhanced the relative seed germination of \u003cem\u003eS. lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e which were observed to be 185.7% for liquid biofertilizer and 157.1% for carrier-based biofertilizer as well as the morphometric traits of plants in addition to improved N, P, K level of the soil. The relative plant trait yield was also enhanced with the maximum in liquid biofertilizer-treated root fresh weight with 258%. The overall relative yield was enhanced in both treatments in comparison to the control set as depicted in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e. Govindarajan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) also emphasized the potential of \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella\u003c/em\u003e sp. GR9 in improving rice production.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDepicting morphometric characteristics (plant height (cm), shoot height (cm), root length (cm), plant fresh weight (g), plant dry weight (g), shoot fresh weight (g), and root fresh weight (g)) in control, carrier biofertilizer and liquid biofertilizer treated \u003cem\u003eS. lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e after 25, 50 and 75 days of plant growth experiment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"12\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameter\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDay 25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDay 50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDay 75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c12\" namest=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative yield increase (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid\u0026nbsp;​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiquid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlant height (cm)​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.280\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.650\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.425\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.625\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.875\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.475\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.800\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e133.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eShoot height​ (cm)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.350\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.380\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.250\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.400\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.625\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.905\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.310\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e111.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e144.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoot height\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(cm)​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.050\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.410\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.220\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.325\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.9\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.445\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.465\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.490\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e110.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlant Fresh weight (g)​\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.53\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.025\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.230\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;.0115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.432\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.536\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.671\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e123.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e155.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eShoot fresh weight\u0026nbsp;​(g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.85\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.092\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.150\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.401\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.401\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.82\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.591\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e124.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e147.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoot fresh weight\u0026nbsp;​(g)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.006\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.020\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.038\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.080\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e122.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e258\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eColumns represent the result of mean and standard deviation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eQuantitative Analysis of Soil\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe organic carbon in soil was determined in terms of % oxidizable organic carbon. The available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e), available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) in soil were determined in terms of kg per hectare (kg/ha) depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The % oxidizable organic carbon was 0.300\u0026ndash;0.500 kg/ha, available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e) was 22 to 56 kg/ha, available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO) was 112 to 280 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) was low about 15 kg/ha, nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) was nil on 0th day of sowing of \u003cem\u003eS. lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e in soil.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in the control set was in the range of 0.100\u0026ndash;0.300 kg/ha during the whole trial and nil after 75 days, available phosphate reduces after 50 days which was observed to be nil, available potassium reduces after 50 days to nil, ammonical nitrogen was low about 15 kg/ha during initiation of experiment which reduces to nil after 40 days and nitrate nitrogen was observed only after 50 days which was very low about 04 kg/ha.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in liquid biofertilizer treatment was in the range of 1.00-1.50 kg/ha during the whole trial, available phosphate was maintained above 73 kg/ha which only reduced after 50 days, available potassium was also available at about 392 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen was available about 73 kg/ha and nitrate nitrogen was available in medium to high range of 20 and 50 kg/ha which reduced only after 50 days.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe % oxidizable organic carbon reduced in carrier biofertilizer treatment was in the range of 1.00-1.50 kg/ha during the whole trial, available phosphate started reducing after 50 days and was observed to be between 56 to 73 kg/ha, and available potassium gradually reduces as the experiment continued after 50 days from 280 to 112 kg/ha, ammonical nitrogen was available about 73 kg/ha and nitrate nitrogen was available mostly in high range to medium about 20 kg/ha during the trial.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe carrier and liquid-based biofertilizers were found to significantly enhance the levels of Total % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e), available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N). The available phosphorus was observed to be 73 kg/ha, which is significantly higher than the control set which had only 56 kg/ha. Similarly, the levels of ammonical nitrogen in both liquid and carrier-based biofertilizers were observed to be 73 kg/ha, whereas the control set had only 15 kg/ha. In addition, nitrate nitrogen, which is important for nitrogen fixation in soil, was observed to be 50 kg/ha in the carrier and liquid biofertilizers, whereas the control set had only 4 kg/ha.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe significant enhancement in the levels of Total % oxidizable organic carbon, available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e), available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO), ammonical nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) supports our claim that the carrier and liquid biofertilizers formulated from rice straw are of better quality for use in agriculture and agro-industrial sectors. The available phosphate (P\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e5\u003c/sub\u003e) and available potassium (K\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO) at the beginning of the study ranged from 22 to 56 kg/ha and 112 to 280 kg/ha, respectively, in an un-solubilized form, making them unavailable for plant use, as was observed in the control set of plants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, the control set had low levels of phosphorus and potassium, while the biofertilizer-treated plant sets not only utilized the available phosphorus and potassium but also solubilized the available phosphate and potassium in the soil. This was evident as the phosphate and potassium levels increased after 25 days, as depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. The increased levels of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen in the biofertilizer-treated plant sets can be attributed to the nutrients present in rice straw, in addition to the plant growth-promoting traits of \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407. These results validate the quality of the biofertilizer and are supported by the study of Xu et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), where a biofertilizer formulation was prepared using wastewater from sweet potato starch. Tiquia (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e) suggests that nitrogen loss from the soil is due to the ammonification (NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) process, which converts organic nitrogen into NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e ions. Similar results were observed in the control soil of the present study and compost prepared by Nagarajan et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) from chicken feathers. In contrast, the soil of liquid and carrier biofertilizer maintained nitrate (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N) nitrogen (NH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e-N), which is a key component in providing and maintaining a nitrogen pool in the soil, as supported by Muhammad et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) and Sun et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). This study's results thus offer a tool to maintain the nitrogen pool in the soil and prevent nitrogen loss from agricultural soil.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn continuation of our previous study by Sharma et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), we efficiently converted composite kitchen waste into biofertilizers. Consequently, in this work, we utilised rice straw to produce a more sustainable agro-industrial product. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e compares the biofertilizer formulations developed in the current process technology with other studies that utilized different types of agro-industrial wastes for producing soil-nourishing agro-industrial commodities. The table also evaluates the environmental impact and product quality of the present formulations, highlighting the significance of the study. Previous research has indicated that most biofertilizers and soil-nourishing chemicals derived from agro-industrial waste have not been successful or have not been implemented at a pilot scale in laboratories or industries. The selected strains used in the current study add to their value by capitalizing on two benefits of lignocellulosic materials, namely, the hydrolysis of rice straw to produce biofertilizers. Consequently, agro-industrial commodities that were expected to compete for market share failed to develop. In summary, the comparative analysis suggests that rice straw is a promising candidate for developing biofertilizers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab8\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 8\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe comparative analysis of present process technology with eminent studies involving different agro-industrial wastes transformed into various agro-industrial commodities having soil nourishment traits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgro-industrial waste\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProcess involved\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicroorganism involved\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAgro-industrial commodity generated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImpact\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReference\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood waste\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood waste inoculated with microbes in a composter at 50 ◦C for 28 days\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrevibacillus borstelensis\u003c/em\u003e SH168\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer 1.82\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFood waste management in addition to biofertilizer production\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTsai et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWastewater from sweet potato starch\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInoculation in 100 ml of sterilized (121\u0026deg;C, 20 min) SPSW and incubated at 24\u0026ndash;32 h incubation at 30\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaenibacillus polymyxa\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer having 9.7\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e9\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer which improves the growth of tea plant\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eXu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR57\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChicken feather waste\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 days of degradation process by 20\u0026ndash;25% inoculum w/w\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBacillus subtilis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompost\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManagement of chicken feather Increase in N, P, K content\u0026nbsp;of the soil\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNagarajan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCaribbean pine sawdust\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.0\u0026nbsp;g Biochar adsorbed with inoculum and shaken at 150 RPM, 24\u0026nbsp;h at 30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2\u0026nbsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePseudomonas\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;sp.,\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eSerratia\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;sp., and\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eKosakonia\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;sp\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer having 1.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026times;\u0026thinsp;10\u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026nbsp;CFU/ml\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIncreases seedling growth nutrient in soil and growth of\u0026nbsp;\u003cem\u003eAllium cepa\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;L.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlanco-Vargas et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChicken feather waste\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite chicken feathers inoculated with \u003cem\u003eB. pumilus\u003c/em\u003e AR57 in 1% v/v; 1.25 \u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e8\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml) and incubated at 150 rpm, 37 ◦C for 28 h\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBacillus pumilus\u003c/em\u003e AR57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBiofertilizer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnhances total phosphate and potassium solubilizers and nitrifying bacteria in the soil of \u003cem\u003eZea mays\u003c/em\u003e L.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJagadeesan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRice Straw\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsolidated bioprocessing in pilot scale fermenter at pH 6.0, temperature 30◦C for 8 days\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 and \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarrier and liquid biofertilizer formulations having 4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g and 4.50\u0026times;10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml, respectively\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRice straw management in addition to biofertilizer production improves both plant growth of \u003cem\u003eSolanum lycopersicum\u003c/em\u003e and soil quality\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePresent study\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe burning of rice straw is a significant issue affecting the agricultural regions of Northwestern India, including the National Capital Territory, New Delhi. As rice cultivation is a crucial aspect of India's agrarian economy and food security, a sustainable solution to manage rice straw must be developed. This study presents an innovative approach that adheres to the principles of circular economy and sustainable agriculture. By converting rice straw into carrier and liquid biofertilizers, the present work offers an appealing alternative to rice straw management.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearchers around the globe are interested in managing readily accessible rice straw and turning it into value-added products. The major focus of the researchers is to transform the rice straw into bioethanol or biogas. The fermentation industry is facing difficulty in transforming into such products because of the unusual complexity of the structure of rice straw comprising high lignin and silica. The farmers usually follow the common field practice of pathogen-free soil for the following crop after rice harvesting, several nations, including India; have adopted the practice of on-site burning of rice straw and its residue. But the same causes serious air pollution, which results in smog, fog, and a misty atmosphere and harms humans. In the context of the current study, we disclosed the use of rice straw in its natural state as the substrate for the less expensive co-production of multiple carbohydrases by a natural variant of an existing fungal strain and a bacterial strain that can produce multiple traits for plant growth promotion and can sustain in a consolidated bioprocess for the development of low-cost carrier and liquid biofertilizer.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe integrated bioprocessing strategy utilizing \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 and \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 effectively hydrolyses and transforms pretreated rice straw into biofertilizers, achieving a cell count of 4.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/ml or 4.50 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e12\u003c/sup\u003e CFU/g within 8 days at 1:20 solid loading. This approach presents a shorter and more efficient method of rice straw management, addressing the dual challenges of managing rice straw and producing food for a growing population. The biofertilizer formulations were also shown to enhance plant growth and soil quality, demonstrating the potential for wider application in sustainable agriculture. Moreover, the method requires no external enzyme loading or carrier substances, making it both economically feasible and environmentally sound.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe biotransformation of rice straw to biofertilizer formulations is a technically feasible and cost-effective method with significant potential for sustainable agriculture. Its wide application could result in the low-cost development of biofertilizers, which are in demand in the global agricultural market. Moreover, sustainable management of rice straw has ecological benefits, reducing the negative environmental impact associated with rice straw burning. Consequently, the conversion of rice straw to biofertilizer formulations presents an encouraging solution to the management of rice straw, which could have positive economic and ecological outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical Approval\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eApproved by the authors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Publish\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors approve publication of this paper.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApurav Sharma\u003c/strong\u003e: Methodology, Validation, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing-Original Draft; \u003cstrong\u003eRaman Soni\u003c/strong\u003e: Supervision, Writing Review \u0026amp; Editing; \u003cstrong\u003eSanjeev Kumar Soni\u003c/strong\u003e: Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervision, Writing-Review \u0026amp; Editing\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;Funding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eApurav Sharma reports financial support was provided by Panjab University.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAlabdalall AH, Almutari AA, Aldakeel SA, Albarrag AM, Aldakheel LA, Alsoufi MH, Elkomy HM (2023) Bioethanol Production from Lignocellulosic Biomass Using \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAspergillus flavus\u003c/em\u003e Hydrolysis Enzymes through Immobilized \u003cem\u003eS. cerevisiae\u003c/em\u003e. Energies 16(2):823\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmna Din BU, Sarfraz S, Xia Y, Kamran MA, Javed MT, Sultan T, Chaudhary HJ (2019) Mechanistic elucidation of germination potential and growth of wheat inoculated with exopolysaccharide and ACC-deaminase producing Bacillus strains under induced salinity stress. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 183:109466\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBailey MJ, Biley P, Poutanen K (1992) Inter laboratory testing of methods for assay of xylanase activity. J Biotechnol 23:257\u0026ndash;270\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBajar S, Singh A, Bishnoi NR (2020) Exploration of low-cost agro-industrial waste substrate for cellulase and xylanase production using \u003cem\u003eAspergillus heteromorphus\u003c/em\u003e. Appl Water Sci 10(6):1\u0026ndash;9\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBhattacharyya P, Bisen J, Bhaduri D, Priyadarsini S, Munda S, Chakraborti M, Nimbrayan P (2021) Turn the wheel from waste to wealth: Economic and environmental gain of sustainable rice straw management practices over field burning in reference to India. Sci Total Environ 775:145896\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBhattacharyya PN, Dutta P, Madhab M, Phukan IK, Sarmah SR, Pathak SK (2016) Isolation of potash mobilizing microorganisms in tea soil and evaluation of their efficiency in potash nutrition in tea: a novel approach. Two and a Bud 63(1):8\u0026ndash;12\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlanco-Vargas A, Chac\u0026oacute;n-Buitrago MA, Quintero-Duque MC, Poutou-Pi\u0026ntilde;ales RA, D\u0026iacute;az-Ariza LA, Devia-Castillo CA, Pedroza-Rodr\u0026iacute;guez AM (2022) Production of pine sawdust biochar supporting phosphate-solubilizing bacteria as an alternative bioinoculant in \u003cem\u003eAllium cepa\u003c/em\u003e L., culture. Sci Rep 12(1):12815\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCalabi-Floody M, Medina J, Rumpel C, Condron LM, Hernandez M, Dumont M, de La Luz Mora M (2018) Smart fertilizers as a strategy for sustainable agriculture. Adv Agron 147:119\u0026ndash;157\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChugh P, Kaur J, Soni R, Sharma A, Soni SK (2023) A low-cost process for efficient hydrolysis of deoiled rice bran and ethanol production using an inhouse produced multi-enzyme preparation from \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 25:359\u0026ndash;375\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDasgan HY, Aldiyab A, Elgudayem F, Ikiz B, Gruda NS (2022) Effect of biofertilizers on leaf yield, nitrate amount, mineral content and antioxidants of basil (\u003cem\u003eOcimum basilicum\u003c/em\u003e L.) in a floating culture. Sci Rep 12(1):1\u0026ndash;10\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDinesh R, Anandaraj M, Kumar A, Bini YK, Subila KP, Aravind R (2015) Isolation, characterization, and evaluation of multi-trait plant growth promoting rhizobacteria for their growth promoting and disease suppressing effects on ginger. Microbiol Res 173:34\u0026ndash;43\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eErgun O, Dasgan HY, Isık O (2018) Effects of microalgae \u003cem\u003eChlorella vulgaris\u003c/em\u003e on hydroponically grown lettuce. Acta Hortic 1273:169\u0026ndash;176\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGadde B, Bonnet S, Menke C, Garivait S (2009) Air pollutant emissions from rice straw open field burning in India, Thailand and the Philippines. Environ Pollut 157(5):1554\u0026ndash;1558\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGang S, Sharma S, Saraf M, Buck M, Schumacher J (2019) Analysis of Indole-3-acetic Acid (IAA) Production in \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella\u003c/em\u003e by LC-MS/MS and the Salkowski Method. Bio-protoc 9(9):e3230\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGovindarajan M, Kwon SW, Weon HY (2007) Isolation, molecular characterization and growth-promoting activities of endophytic sugarcane diazotroph \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella\u003c/em\u003e sp. GR9. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 23(7):997\u0026ndash;1006\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGulati A, Paroda R, Puri S, Narain D, Ghanwat A (2023) Food System in India. Challenges, Performance and Promise. Science and Innovations for Food Systems Transformation. Springer, Cham, pp 813\u0026ndash;828\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGupta M, Kiran S, Gulati A, Singh B, Tewari R (2012) Isolation and identification of phosphate solubilizing bacteria able to enhance the growth and aloin-A biosynthesis of Aloe barbadensis Miller. Microbiol Res 167(6):358\u0026ndash;363\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJagadeesan Y, Meenakshisundaram S, Raja K, Balaiah A (2023) Sustainable and efficient-recycling approach of chicken feather waste into liquid protein hydrolysate with biostimulant efficacy on plant, soil fertility and soil microbial consortium: A perspective to promote the circular economy. Process Saf Environ Prot 170:573\u0026ndash;583\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJain D, Navariya JK, Bhojiya AA, Singh A, Mohanty SR, Upadhyay SK (2023) Bioprospecting of novel ligninolytic bacteria for effective bioremediation of agricultural by-product and synthetic pollutant dyes. Microbiol Res 270:127330\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJames G (1978) Native Sherman Rockland Community College, State University of New York. Benjamin/Cummins Publishing Co, pp 75\u0026ndash;80\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaur J, Chugh P, Soni R, Soni SK (2020) A low-cost approach for the generation of enhanced sugars and ethanol from rice straw using in-house produced cellulase-hemicellulase consortium from \u003cem\u003eA. niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19. Bioresour Technol Rep 11:100469\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKayasth M, Gera R, Dudeja SS, Sharma PK, Kumar V (2014) Studies on salinization in Haryana soils on free-living nitrogen‐fixing bacterial populations and their activity. J Basic Microbiol 54(3):170\u0026ndash;179\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKhurana A (2020) In: Kumar V (ed) State of Organic and Natural Farming: Challenges and Possibilities. Centre for Science and Environment, New New Delhi. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://cuts-cart.org/pdf/state-of-organic-and-natural-farming-2020.pdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://cuts-cart.org/pdf/state-of-organic-and-natural-farming-2020.pdf\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLaskar AH, Maurya AS, Singh V, Gurjar BR, Liang MC (2020) A new perspective of probing the level of pollution in the megacity New Delhi affected by crop residue burning using the triple oxygen isotope technique in atmospheric CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e. Environ Pollut 263:114542\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLouden BC, Haarmann D, Lynne AM (2011) Use of blue agar CAS assay for siderophore detection. J Microbiol Biol Educ 12(1):51\u0026ndash;53\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLuo Y, Liang J, Zeng G, Chen M, Mo D, Li G, Zhang D (2018) Seed germination test for toxicity evaluation of compost: Its roles, problems and prospects. Waste Manage 71:109\u0026ndash;114\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMandels M, Weber J (1969) The production of cellulases. Adv Chem Ser 95:391\u0026ndash;414\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMandels M, Andreotti RE, Roche C (1976) Measurements of saccharifying cellulases. Biotechnol Biophy Symp 6:21\u0026ndash;23\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMiller GL (1959) Use of DNS reagent for determination of reducing sugars. Anal Chem 31:426\u0026ndash;428\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMinistry of agriculture and farmers welfare (2022) Fourth Advance Estimate of principal crops in the country.\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/aug/doc202281792701.pdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2022/aug/doc202281792701.pdf\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMuhammad I, Lv JZ, Yang L, Ahmad S, Farooq S, Zeeshan M, Zhou XB (2022) Low irrigation water minimizes the nitrate nitrogen losses without compromising the soil fertility, enzymatic activities and maize growth. BMC Plant Biol 22(1):1\u0026ndash;13\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNagarajan S, Eswaran P, Masilamani RP, Natarajan H (2018) Chicken feather compost to promote the plant growth activity by using keratinolytic bacteria. Waste Biomass Valorization 9(4):531\u0026ndash;538\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNamnuch N, Thammasittirong A, Thammasittirong SNR (2021) Lignocellulose hydrolytic enzymes production by \u003cem\u003eAspergillus flavus\u003c/em\u003e KUB2 using submerged fermentation of sugarcane bagasse waste. Mycology 12(2):119\u0026ndash;127\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNational Statistical Office (2020) Periodic Labour Force Survey: July 2018\u0026ndash;June 2019. MOSPI, Government of India, New Delhi\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNational Policy for Management of Crop Residues (NPMCR), Minist. Agric. Dep. Agric. Coop., Natural Resour. Manag. Div. Krishi Bhawan. (2014) March 13, 2021 \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/NPMCR_1.pdf\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://agricoop.nic.in/sites/default/files/NPMCR_1.pdf\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e L\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOlguin-Maciel E, Singh A, Chable-Villacis R, Tapia-Tussell R, Ruiz HA (2020) Consolidated bioprocessing, an innovative strategy towards sustainability for biofuels production from crop residues: an overview. Agronomy 10(11):1834\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePassarelli M, Bongiorno G, Cucino V, Cariola A (2023) Adopting new technologies during the crisis: An empirical analysis of agricultural sector. Technol Forecast Soc Change 186:122106\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePretty J (2008) Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 363(1491):447\u0026ndash;465\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRastogi S, Soni R, Kaur J, Soni SK (2016) Unravelling the capability of \u003cem\u003ePyrenophora phaeocomes\u003c/em\u003e S-1 for the production of ligno-hemicellulolytic enzyme cocktail and simultaneous bio-delignification of rice straw for enhanced enzymatic saccharification. Bioresour Technol 222:458\u0026ndash;469\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRijavec T, Lapanje A (2016) Hydrogen cyanide in the rhizosphere: not suppressing plant pathogens, but rather regulating availability of phosphate. Front Microbiol 7:1785\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRoslan MAM, Sobri ZM, Zuan ATK, Cheak SC, Rahman NAA (2022) Bioprospecting microwave-alkaline hydrolysate cocktail of defatted soybean meal and jackfruit peel biomass as carrier additive of molasses-alginate-bead biofertilizer. Sci Rep 12(1):1\u0026ndash;14\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSadaf A, Khare SK (2014) Production of \u003cem\u003eSporotrichum thermophile\u003c/em\u003e xylanase by solidstate fermentation utilizing deoiled \u003cem\u003eJatropha curcas\u003c/em\u003e seed cake and its application in xylooligosaccharide synthesis. Bioresour Technol 153:126\u0026ndash;130\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSantner A, Calderon-Villalobos LI, Estelle M (2009) Plant hormones are versatile chemical regulators of plant growth. Nat Chem Biol 5:301\u0026ndash;307\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSharma A, Saini H, Thakur B, Soni R, Soni SK (2023) Consolidated bioprocessing of biodegradable municipal solid waste for transformation into biofertilizer formulations.Biomass Convers Biorefin1\u0026ndash;15\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSingh R, Patel M (2022) Effective utilization of rice straw in value-added by-products: A systematic review of state of art and future perspectives. Biomass Bioenergy 159:106411\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSingh R, Srivastava M, Shukla A (2016) Environmental sustainability of bioethanol production from rice straw in India: a review. Renew Sustainable Energy Rev 54:202\u0026ndash;216\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSobti RC, Sharma A, Soni SK (2022) Applications of Biotechnological Techniques in Mitigating Environmental Concerns. Genomic, Proteomics, and Biotechnology. CRC Press, pp 249\u0026ndash;312\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoni SK, Manhas R, Jakhar Y, Sharma A, Soni R (2022c) Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture: Current Trends and Future Perspective. Genomic, Proteomics, and Biotechnology. CRC Press, pp 331\u0026ndash;356\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2022a) Fungal cocktail of multiple hydrolytic enzymes and method of production thereof.Indian patent202213059023. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2022b) Method for preparation of stable microbial inoculants.Indian patent202211050475. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://ipindiaservices.gov.in/PatentSearch/PatentSearch/ViewApplicationStatus\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoni SK, Sharma A, Soni R (2023) Microbial Enzyme Systems in the Production of Second Generation Bioethanol. Sustainability 15(4):3590\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSt\u0026aring;lbrand H, Siika-aho M, Viikari L (1993) Purification and characterization of two β-mannanases from \u003cem\u003eTrichoderma reesei\u003c/em\u003e. J Biotechnol 29:229\u0026ndash;242\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSun R, Ding J, Li H, Wang X, Li W, Li K, Sun S (2023) Mitigating nitrate leaching in cropland by enhancing microbial nitrate transformation through the addition of liquid biogas slurry. Agric Ecosyst Environ 345:108324\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTiquia SM (2002) Evaluation of organic matter and nutrient composition of partially decomposed and composed and composted spent pig litter. Environ Technol 24:97\u0026ndash;107\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTsai SH, Liu CP, Yang SS (2007) Microbial conversion of food wastes for biofertilizer production with thermophilic lipolytic microbes. Renew Energ 32(6):904\u0026ndash;915\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWorld Development Indicator (2019) Poverty and equity data portal. Retrieved February 22, 2020, from \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003epovertydata.worldbank.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"http://povertydata.worldbank.org\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: https://pip.worldbank.org/home\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eXu S, Bai Z, Jin B, Xiao R, Zhuang G (2014) Bioconversion of wastewater from sweet potato starch production to \u003cem\u003ePaenibacillus polymyxa\u003c/em\u003e biofertilizer for tea plants. Sci Rep 4(1):1\u0026ndash;7\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZainudin MHM, Singam JT, Sazili AQ, Shirai Y, Hassan MA (2022) Indigenous cellulolytic aerobic and facultative anaerobic bacterial community enhanced the composting of rice straw and chicken manure with biochar addition. Sci Rep 12(1):5930\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZhao S, Qiu S, Xu X, Ciampitti IA, Zhang S, He P (2019) Change in straw decomposition rate and soil microbial community composition after straw addition in different long-term fertilization soils. Appl Soil Ecol 138:123\u0026ndash;133\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEthics, Declarations\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Rice straw, biofertilizer, hydrolytic enzymes, waste management, circular economy","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe increasing recognition of issues related to the production of rice straw has spurred global interest, particularly in India, to reclaim rice straw generated during cultivation to mitigate the pollution. The present study focuses on the zero waste principle, which promotes long-term sustainable socio-economic and environmental benefits through the conversion of rice straw into biofertilizers. The 8-day process involves hydrolyzing delignified rice straw using \u003cem\u003eAspergillus niger\u003c/em\u003e P-19 capable of producing multiple hydrolytic enzymes while \u003cem\u003eKlebsiella pneumoniae\u003c/em\u003e AP-407 grows in the nutrients present in the hydrolysate, providing plant growth-promoting traits. This method produces liquid and carrier biofertilizer formulations from a single process with a high microbial population and is economically attractive as it can be achieved in a single fermenter vessel without requiring external enzyme loading or carrier substances. This sustainable and economically feasible solution for rice straw management follows the basic principles of the circular economy.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Rice straw to biofertilizer formulations: Fostering waste management for circular economy","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2023-05-17 19:36:19","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2797131/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1a9b835b-9aa2-4bbe-abaf-c1ef53a9c4f3","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 17th, 2023","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2023-06-07T05:48:22+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2023-05-17 19:36:19","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-2797131","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-2797131","identity":"rs-2797131","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"WrCJVZZCHTDjtuVLN7oU0","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}