Abstract:[Background] Tobacco straw is rich in lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, while the complex structure makes it difficult to be degraded under natural conditions. [Objective] To explore the degradation process of tobacco straw and enhance the degradation efficiency by using composite bacterial agents. [Methods] Cellulose-degrading bacteria, lignin-degrading bacteria, and ammonifying bacteria were mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio to form two composite bacterial agents (composite Bacteria 1 and composite Bacteria 2). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared) was employed to analyze the chemical group changes in tobacco straw during the degradation process. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the application performance of the composite bacterial agents. [Results] FTIR results suggested that the composite bacteria might disrupt the complex structure of tobacco straw, degrading cellulose and lignin to release small-molecule sugars and aromatic compounds. Field experiments demonstrated that composite bacterial treatments significantly enhanced the degradation of tobacco straw. Especially, the treatment with composite Bacteria 2 achieved a weight loss rate of 40.44% on day 15 and 64.20% after three and a half months. [Conclusion] This study explored the degradation process of tobacco straw by composite bacteria and significantly improved its degradation efficiency, providing scientific support for the utilization of tobacco straw resources.
