Jeevamrut, a bioenhancer used in natural farming, enriches plant-growth-promoting microbial consortia
Jeevamrut, a traditional on-farm fermented bio-formulation used in natural farming, improves soil fertility and crop productivity, yet its microbial ecology remains poorly understood. Here, we report the first integrated shotgun metagenomics and culturomics study to decode the microbial succession and functional potential of Jeevamrut during a 21-day fermentation. Initially Jeevamrut shared microbial profiles similar to cow dung but underwent marked restructuring, with a decline in Bacteroidota and enrichment of Firmicutes, particularly lactic acid bacteria: Leuconostoc, Lactiplantibacillus, Lactococcus, alongside beneficial yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Functional analysis revealed enrichment of genes linked to stress tolerance, phytohormone biosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and siderophore transport, peaking between days 7 and 10. Culturomic validation confirmed that mid-fermentation isolates exhibited strong plant growth-promoting traits, including auxin production and nutrient solubilization. These findings demonstrate that fermentation transforms Jeevamrut into a bioactive microbial consortium and that days 7-10 represent the optimal window for its application in sustainable natural farming.