Enzyme activities in a sandy soil of Western Bahia under cotton production systems: short-term effects, temporal variability, and the FERTBIO sample concept

• Published in: Brazilian journal of microbiology 2021-12, Vol.52 (4), p.2193-2204
• Main Authors: de Castro Lopes, André Alves, Bogiani, Júlio Cesar, de Figueiredo, Cícero Célio, dos Reis Junior, Fábio Bueno, de Sousa, Djalma Martinhão Gomes, Malaquias, Juaci Vitoria, de Carvalho Mendes, Ieda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid phosphatase; Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural practices; Agriculture; Annual variations; Arylsulfatase; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil; Carbon - analysis; Cellobiase; Cotton; Cover crops; Cropping systems; Environmental Microbiology - Research Paper; Enzymatic activity; Enzymes; Enzymes - metabolism; Food Microbiology; Glucosidase; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Monoculture; Mycology; Organic carbon; Organic soils; Sand - microbiology; Sandy soils; Soil contamination; Soil Microbiology; Soil quality; Sustainability; Systems analysis; Temporal variations; Tillage; Time Factors; β-Glucosidase
• ISSN: 1517-8382; 1678-4405
• DOI: 10.1007/s42770-021-00606-z

Enzyme activities (EAs) and the FERTBIO sample concept have been increasingly adopted as a novel approach to estimate the soil quality in Brazil. However, the performance of this strategy in sandy soils of the Cerrado biome remains unclear. During 2 years, in a Cerrado’s sandy soil, the short-term effects of ten different cropping systems (conventional tillage or no-tillage associated with monoculture, rotations, and/or successions) on the activities of β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and arylsulfatase were studied. Issues related to annual variability and the feasibility of using the FERTBIO sample concept for soil enzymes activities were also evaluated. Soil samples were collected at three different depths (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–40 cm) in March 2017 and February 2018. Five years since the beginning of the experiment, the presence of cover crops and no-till promoted improvements in EAs evidencing the importance of regenerative management practices for the sustainability of agroecosystems in sandy soils. Regardless of the cropping systems and depths evaluated, soil organic carbon and EAs showed low temporal variation during the 2 years of monitoring. Our results also showed that it is possible to use the FERTBIO sample concept for the Quartzipsament soils of Western Bahia, Brazil.