Тараненко, Анна ОлексіївнаTaranenko, A. O.Тараненко, Сергій ВолодимировичTaranenko, S. V.Кулик, Максим ІвановичKulyk, M. I.Rytchenko, A.Teteriuk, R.2026-03-022026-03-022026-03-02https://dspace.pdau.edu.ua/handle/123456789/20775Taranenko A. O., Taranenko S. V., Kulyk M. I., Rytchenko A., Teteriuk R. Assessment of the soil microbial community under energy crops (Panicum virgatum L. and Miscanthus giganteus): a case study from Ukraine. Soil science annual. 2025. Vol. 76 (1). 199764. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37501/soilsa/199764Bioenergy crops are a promising alternative for energy production. They can be grown on inaccessible, degraded, marginal land that is not economically viable for traditional agriculture. At the same time, a broader evaluation of the environmental and ecological impact of energy crop cultivation on land is needed. There are still knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms underlying soil carbon accumulation, especially concerning the involvement of the soil microbiome in facilitating these processes during energy crop cultivation. The present study determined the main ecotrophic and taxonomic groups of soil microbial communities and the direction of soil microbiological processes under Panicum virgatum L. and Miscanthus giganteus growth. Research results showed an initial impact of energy crop growth on soil microbial communities in the soil-climatic conditions of Ukrainian forest-steppe zones. Soils under energy crops are characterized by the highest abundances of the investigated ecological and trophic microbial groups (by 1.2-3 times) compared to control (soil under grassland). The coefficients of microbiological processes determine the high potential for increasing soil fertility under energy crop cultivation. Statistical analysis of the results confirmed a medium and strong correlation between soil microbiological parameters and soil organic carbon content during energy crop growth. Therefore, energy crops can act as ecosystem engineers, improving soil biological and chemical properties and supporting soil ecosystem sustainability.enMiscanthus giganteusswitchgrass (panicum virgatum l.)soil microorganismsmicrobiological processessoil organic mattersoil indicator\Article