Abstract:To address the bottleneck of low decomposition efficiency of rice straw in cold environments in northern China. Efficiency strains L3 (Bacillus subtilis) and P8 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) were screened using gradient dilution, Congo red transparent circle method, DNS enzymatic activity assay, and weight loss rate analysis; A composite microbial system was constructed using L3 and P8 as functional strains. Through combined laboratory and field experiments, its effectiveness in straw degradation and soil improvement was evaluated. Results demonstrated that strains L3 and P8 exhibited outstanding performance, showing CMCase and FPA activities of 10.23 U/mL, 9.45 U/mL and 7.64 U/mL, 10.96 U/mL respectively, achieving degradation rates of 10.72% and 7.28% at 10 ℃. Among three constructed consortia, Consortium b (1∶2) showed optimal degradation efficiency with 47.44% straw weight loss, representing 34.85 percentage-point improvement over single-strain treatments. The results of field experiments showed that the application rate of composite bacteria at 2‰ significantly promoted straw decomposition. The degradation rate of rice at maturity was 55.12%, an increase of 19.67 percentage points compared to the control. The content of soil organic matter, alkaline nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium increased by 5.88%, 1.76%, 3.89%, and 1.65% respectively. The plant height, fresh weight, and tiller number of rice seedlings increased by 15.20%-29.84%, and the yield increased by 5.18%. This study demonstrated that composite microbial consortium b can overcome low-temperature limitations to efficiently decompose crop straw, improve soil quality and enhance crop yield, providing critical technological foundations for sustainable agricultural development in cold regions.