Microbiome structure, function, and drivers across different soil groups in an agricultural region of Serbia
- 1Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
- 2Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, The National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Abstract
Soil is the largest reservoir of biodiversity, with distinct physical, chemical, and biological properties. Microorganisms play essential roles in soil formation and fertility. This study aimed to analyse the microbiomes of three selected soil groups (Chernozem, Solonchak, and Vertisol) in an important agricultural region of Vojvodina (Serbia) by 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and explore their association with soil properties, including soil pH, texture, organic matter, nutrient status, cation exchange capacity, and selected macro- and micronutrients. Soil samples from a total of 26 field plots (in 5 replicates) were analysed using Illumina MiSeq paired-end sequencing and processed through the QIIME2 pipeline. The obtained results indicate that the analysed soils generally exhibit physicochemical properties typical for the respective soil groups. Alpha diversity indices revealed the highest microbiome diversity in Chernozem, consistent with its favourable physicochemical characteristics. Based on beta diversity, clear separation of soil groups according to their properties was determined. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteriota dominate the microbial community composition at the phylum level. Redundancy analysis revealed that soil properties account for 53.8 % of the variation in community composition, with pH value, iron availability, and CaCO₃ content having the strongest influence, pH being particularly significant. The functional potential of microbial communities showed dominance of functions related to metabolism, with significant representation of functions belonging to the following groups: genetic information processing, environmental information processing, and cellular processes. The analysis of genes involved in nitrogen cycling using Kruskal–Wallis test showed no statistically significant differences in their abundances across different soil groups (p value > 0.05). This study provides the first detailed analysis of soil microbial communities across Serbia and highlights factors shaping them. These findings underscore the importance of microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning and offer a framework for soil health monitoring, while providing insights relevant for sustainable agriculture.
Related
- Structure–Property Relationships of Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals Enriched in Cellulose I and Cellulose II from Different Agricultural Residues
- Microbial Biostimulants for Drought Resilience in Plants: Mechanisms, Plant–Microbiome Interactions, and Sustainable Agricultural Applications
- Topographic and economic drivers of agricultural–ecological coupling in Gansu Province: spatial differentiation and threshold effects
- Scalable Agricultural Microbiome Sampling: Operational Definitions, Pooling Strategies, and Preservation Methods
- Hidden drivers of restoration: Persistent divergence in soil microbiome functional capacity post-habitat reconstruction
BibTeX
@article{kuzmanovic2026microbiome,
title = {{Microbiome structure, function, and drivers across different soil groups in an agricultural region of Serbia}},
author = {A. Kuzmanović and D. Tamindžija and J. Ninkov and J. Vasin and M. Djan and S. Milić and D. Radnović},
journal = {SOIL},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.5194/soil-12-1137-2026},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-1137-2026},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbiome structure, function, and drivers across different soil groups in an agricultural region of Serbia
AU - A. Kuzmanović
AU - D. Tamindžija
AU - J. Ninkov
AU - J. Vasin
AU - M. Djan
AU - S. Milić
AU - D. Radnović
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - SOIL
DO - 10.5194/soil-12-1137-2026
UR - https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-12-1137-2026
AB - Soil is the largest reservoir of biodiversity, with distinct physical, chemical, and biological properties. Microorganisms play essential roles in soil formation and fertility. This study aimed to analyse the microbiomes of three selected soil groups (Chernozem, Solonchak, and Vertisol) in an important agricultural region of Vojvodina (Serbia) by 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and explore their association with soil properties, including soil pH, texture, organic matter, nutrient status, cation exchange capacity, and selected macro- and micronutrients. Soil samples from a total of 26 field plots (in 5 replicates) were analysed using Illumina MiSeq paired-end sequencing and processed through the QIIME2 pipeline. The obtained results indicate that the analysed soils generally exhibit physicochemical properties typical for the respective soil groups. Alpha diversity indices revealed the highest microbiome diversity in Chernozem, consistent with its favourable physicochemical characteristics. Based on beta diversity, clear separation of soil groups according to their properties was determined. Proteobacteria, Acidobacteriota, and Actinobacteriota dominate the microbial community composition at the phylum level. Redundancy analysis revealed that soil properties account for 53.8 % of the variation in community composition, with pH value, iron availability, and CaCO₃ content having the strongest influence, pH being particularly significant. The functional potential of microbial communities showed dominance of functions related to metabolism, with significant representation of functions belonging to the following groups: genetic information processing, environmental information processing, and cellular processes. The analysis of genes involved in nitrogen cycling using Kruskal–Wallis test showed no statistically significant differences in their abundances across different soil groups (p value > 0.05). This study provides the first detailed analysis of soil microbial communities across Serbia and highlights factors shaping them. These findings underscore the importance of microbial diversity for ecosystem functioning and offer a framework for soil health monitoring, while providing insights relevant for sustainable agriculture.
SN - 2199-3971
SN - 2199-398X
ER -