Microbial Approach to Sustainable Cotton Agriculture: The Role of PaleoPower^® in Soil Health and Glyphosate Mitigation

The extensive use of glyphosate-based herbicides has raised concerns about its impact on soil health and microbial communities, particularly due to the persistence of AMPA. This study evaluates the effects of PaleoPower, a co-fermented microbial inoculant, on soil microbial composition, diversity, and glyphosate degradation in a cotton field. PaleoPower, applied at 1.6 × 10⁸ CFU per square meter, introduced eight bacterial strains, bioactive postbiotics, and prebiotics into the soil. Post-harvest analyses revealed reductions in glyphosate and AMPA levels in the soil of 72% and 50%, respectively from baseline levels treated and untreated respectively in untreated soil. LEfSe analysis identified 206 taxonomic biomarkers, including increases in beneficial taxa like Actinobacteria and Clostridia, alongside declines in oligotrophic groups. Random Forest and correlation analyses highlighted key taxa like Sphingomonas and Mesorhizobium in glyphosate metabolism, while increased microbial diversity metrics indicated ecosystem recovery. Metabolic pathway analysis demonstrated upregulation of nutrient cycling, phosphate metabolism, stress resilience processes, increases in methane metabolism and oxidative stress response pathways. These results suggest PaleoPower enhanced glyphosate degradation, enriched microbial diversity, and improved soil health to offer a promising approach for sustainable agriculture. The small sample size and single-field study design highlights the need for further validation.