Tofu by-product soy whey substitutes urea: Reduced ammonia volatilization, enhanced soil fertility and improved fruit quality in cherry tomato production

Soy whey is an abundant, nutrient-rich and safe wastewater produced in tofu processing, so it is necessary to valorize it instead of discarding it as sewage. Whether soy whey can be used as a fertilizer substitute for agricultural production is unclear. In this study, the effects of soy whey serving as a nitrogen source to substitute urea on soil NH3 volatilization, dissolved organic matter (DOM) components and cherry tomato qualities were investigated by soil column experiment. Results showed that the soil NH4+-N concentrations and pH values of the 50% soy whey fertilizer combined with 50% urea (50%-SW) and 100% soy whey fertilizer (100%-SW) treatments were lower than those of 100% urea treatment (CKU). Compared with CKU, 50%-SW and 100%-SW treatments increased the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) by 6.52–100.89%, protease activity by 66.22–83.78%, the contents of total organic carbon (TOC) by 16.97–35.64%, humification index (HIX) of soil DOM by 13.57–17.99%, and average weight per fruit of cherry tomato by 13.46–18.56%, respectively. Moreover, soy whey as liquid organic fertilizer reduced the soil NH3 volatilization by 18.65–25.27% and the fertilization cost by 25.94–51.87% compared with CKU. This study provides a promising option with economic and environmental benefits for soy whey utilization and cherry tomato production, which contributes to the win-win effectiveness of sustainable production for both the soy products industry and agriculture.