Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>There is still a lack of understanding of H<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S formation in agricultural waste, which leads to poor odour prevention and control. Microbial sulfate reduction is a major process contributing to sulfide formation in natural and technogenic environments with high sulfate and low oxygen concentration. Agricultural waste can be considered a low-sulfate system with no obvious input of oxidised sulfur compounds. The purpose of this study was to characterise a microbial community participating in H<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S production and estimate the microbial sulfate reduction rate (SRR) in manure slurry from a large-scale swine finishing facility in Western Siberia. In a series of manure slurry microcosms, we identified bacterial consortia by 16S rRNA gene profiling and metagenomic analysis and revealed that sulfate-reducing <jats:italic>Desulfovibrio</jats:italic> were key players responsible for H<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S production. The SRR measured with radioactive sulfate in manure slurry was high and comprised 7.25 nmol S cm<jats:sup>−3</jats:sup> day<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>. Gypsum may be used as a solid-phase electron acceptor for sulfate reduction. Another plausible source of sulfate is a swine diet, which often contains supplements in the form of sulfates, including lysine sulfate. Low-sulfur diet, manure treatment with iron salts, and avoiding gypsum bedding are possible ways to mitigate H<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S emissions from swine manure.</jats:p>