Organic versus conventional agriculture in Cyprus: An analysis of soil bacterial communities in apple orchards and barley field

Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate the influence of agricultural systems on the soil bacterial communities in barley fields and apple orchards. Employing high-throughput sequencing, we profiled the bacterial communities in both crops under organic and conventional farming systems. Although no significant variations were observed at the phylum level, substantial differentiation was evident at lower taxonomic levels, highlighting the importance of farming practices on shaping soil microbiota. Under organic farming, we observed an enrichment of certain bacterial genera, potentially playing vital roles in enhancing soil health and fertility. On the contrary, unique bacterial genera thrived under conventional farming practices. Redundancy analysis revealed a significant role of soil physicochemical properties in determining bacterial community composition, accounting for >50 % of the observed variance. Notably, NH₄⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, P-Olsen, and pH, were identified as major predictors of bacterial composition. The current study underscores the influence of farming system on the soil bacteriome and shed light on its potential implications for soil health and crop productivity. This research contributes to our understanding of how farming practices influence the soil bacterial assemblies and provides valuable insights for refining sustainable farming strategies. Future investigations are warranted to elucidate the functional roles of the identified bioindicators in soil health and productivity.