Biogeographical Distribution of Bacteria in Soils with Identical Agricultural Practices: Impacts of Environmental Factors.

ABSTRACT: Soil microbial communities are key drivers of plant health and productivity, influencing nutrient cycling and energy flow. This study investigated the impact of environmental variables on the bacterial communities within the rhizospheres of maize and soybean, two economically important crops, across contrasting South African climates with identical agricultural practices. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we conducted a comparative analysis of rhizosphere bacterial communities in the semi-arid steppe of Free State and the subtropical region of Mpumalanga. In the semi-arid steppe, Actinobacteriota (36.5%), Pseudomonadota (24.4%), and Chloroflexi (12.8%) were dominant, while the subtropical region had higher proportions of Actinobacteriota (34.8%), Pseudomonadota (27.6%), and Acidobacterio

SUBMITTER: Akinyemi MO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12318886 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature