Articles
Soil enzymatic activity in the first life period of peach orchards from central Portugal
Article number
1457_87
Pages
691 – 698
Language
English
Abstract
Soil enzymes are responsible for the catalysis of numerous chemical reactions.
They are associated with the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling, and the availability of mineral elements for absorption by the roots.
In general, they are considered good indicators of soil quality.
Thus, the assessment of enzymatic activity is often used as an indicator of microbiological activity, which, in turn, is a result of soil maintenance practices such as tillage, pesticide application, and fertilization.
The enzyme activity, as a bioindicator, can be used to monitor the contribution of agriculture to soil sustainability and preservation, a challenge for humanity.
In the present work, we monitored the enzymatic activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and urease, in 4 peach orchards located in the Portuguese region of Beira Interior during the 1st and 2nd leaves after installation (2015 and 2016). Significant differences were observed in the activity of those enzymes between the different orchards and between the sampling times indicating a significant evolution during the period under observation.
The highest values observed were: 28.89 µg TPF g‑1 16 h‑1 for dehydrogenase, 0.47 µmol p-nitrophenol g‑1 h‑1 for β-glucosidase, 1.71 µmol p-nitrophenol g‑1 h‑1 for acid phosphatase and 0.62 µmol N-NH4+ g‑1 of soil 2 h‑1 for urease.
The highest dehydrogenase activity occurred in the orchard with the highest application of organic materials, namely compost that includes sewage sludge from wastewater treatment.
The activity of β-glucosidase showed an increase from the 2015 cycle to the 2016 cycle.
The accumulation of plant residues on the soil surface may be a reason for that evolution, especially because no tillage was carried out in any of the studied orchards.
The evolution of acid phosphatase activity was globally similar in all orchards, with the highest activity being observed in the period after planting, which corresponds to a period of intense plant growth and, therefore, high nutrient needs.
After the spring-summer period of 2015, a decrease in the activity of acid phosphatase was observed, which may be associated with greater root growth and dispersion.
Urease activity showed a small range of variation over time.
However, the lowest values were observed in the spring season in both the 1st and 2nd plant cycles.
They are associated with the decomposition of organic matter, nutrient cycling, and the availability of mineral elements for absorption by the roots.
In general, they are considered good indicators of soil quality.
Thus, the assessment of enzymatic activity is often used as an indicator of microbiological activity, which, in turn, is a result of soil maintenance practices such as tillage, pesticide application, and fertilization.
The enzyme activity, as a bioindicator, can be used to monitor the contribution of agriculture to soil sustainability and preservation, a challenge for humanity.
In the present work, we monitored the enzymatic activity of dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and urease, in 4 peach orchards located in the Portuguese region of Beira Interior during the 1st and 2nd leaves after installation (2015 and 2016). Significant differences were observed in the activity of those enzymes between the different orchards and between the sampling times indicating a significant evolution during the period under observation.
The highest values observed were: 28.89 µg TPF g‑1 16 h‑1 for dehydrogenase, 0.47 µmol p-nitrophenol g‑1 h‑1 for β-glucosidase, 1.71 µmol p-nitrophenol g‑1 h‑1 for acid phosphatase and 0.62 µmol N-NH4+ g‑1 of soil 2 h‑1 for urease.
The highest dehydrogenase activity occurred in the orchard with the highest application of organic materials, namely compost that includes sewage sludge from wastewater treatment.
The activity of β-glucosidase showed an increase from the 2015 cycle to the 2016 cycle.
The accumulation of plant residues on the soil surface may be a reason for that evolution, especially because no tillage was carried out in any of the studied orchards.
The evolution of acid phosphatase activity was globally similar in all orchards, with the highest activity being observed in the period after planting, which corresponds to a period of intense plant growth and, therefore, high nutrient needs.
After the spring-summer period of 2015, a decrease in the activity of acid phosphatase was observed, which may be associated with greater root growth and dispersion.
Urease activity showed a small range of variation over time.
However, the lowest values were observed in the spring season in both the 1st and 2nd plant cycles.
Publication
Authors
A. Veloso, D. Ferreira, A. Barateiro, C. Ramos, S. Lopes, P. Fragoso, P. Silvino, F. Vieira, I. Castanheira, M.P. Simões
Keywords
Prunus persica, soil maintenance, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, urease
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