Tree Species Overcome Edaphic Heterogeneity in Shaping the Urban Orchard Soil Microbiome and Metabolome

Urban Farm DB summary

This study in an urban orchard in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, investigated how five Prunus species and soil depth (0–30 cm) affect microbial biodiversity and metabolomic signatures using 225 soil samples. It found significant tree species-specific effects on soil microbial biodiversity, with bacterial biomarkers dominating and apricot tree soils showing the highest microbial activity. Metabolomic analysis identified 247 distinct metabolites, revealing unique organic acid profiles for sour cherry and quinone accumulation for cherry, with depth also influencing microbial communities and metabolite composition.