Microbial enzymatic activity and thermal effect in a tropical soil treated with organic materials

ABSTRACT

Bacteria and fungi are the most active decomposers of organic materials in soil. They directly affect plant nutrient availability, and chemical and physical properties of soils. This investigation aimed at quantifying the effect of several organic materials on microbial activity of a Rhodic Eutrudox. Soil samples were incubated over a period of 91 days with the following organic materials cattle manure (CM), earthworm humus (HM), and city sewage sludge from Barueri (BA) and Franca (FR). The activities of cellulase, protease and urease enzymes, the soil microbial carbon content (by fumigation-extraction method) and the exothermal effect were evaluated. Experimental design was randomized and arranged as factorial scheme five treatments x seven samplings with five replications. Organic materials promoted oscillations in microbial carbon (mg C g-1 soil), and enzyme activities - cellulase (µg glucose g-1 soil 24 h-1), protease (mg Tyr g-1 soil 2 h-1), urease (mg NH4+-N g-1 soil 2 h-1) - and the total thermal effect (J g-1 soil), in the following decreasing order (1) CM - 21.47; 655.90; 49.68; 24.55; 477.90; (2) BA - 12.98; 367.70; 32.76; 10.66; 426.29; (3) FR - 11.60; 273.40; 18.77; 19.35; 368.00; (4) HM - 11.77; 261.00; 17.05; 9.02; 202.79; (5) control. Correlations were obtained between microbial carbon and cellulase and protease activities (r = 0.54; p 0.001), and between the exothermal effect and protease activity (r = 0.34; p 0.005). Enzyme activity was closely related to soil microorganisms, therefore, reflecting on the total thermal effect.

RESUMO

Bactérias e fungos são os organismos mais ativos na decomposição de compostos orgânicos no solo, afetando diretamente a disponibilidade de nutrientes para as plantas e as propriedades químicas e físicas dos solos. Este estudo quantificou o efeito de diversos compostos orgânicos na atividade microbiana de um Latossolo Vermelho Eutroférrico típico. As amostras de solo foram incubadas durante 91 dias sob os tratamentos esterco bovino (CM), húmus de minhoca (HM), e os lodos de esgoto de Barueri (BA) e Franca (FR). Foram avaliadas as atividades das enzimas celulase, protease e urease, o carbono microbiano do solo (método fumigação-extração) e o efeito exotérmico total. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial cinco tratamentos x sete amostragens com 5 repetições. Os compostos orgânicos promoveram oscilações no carbono microbiano (mg C g-1 solo), na atividade das enzimas celulase (µg glicose g-1 solo 24 h-1), protease (mg Tyr g-1 solo 2 h-1) e urease (mg NH4+-N g-1 solo 2 h-1) e no efeito térmico total (J g-1 solo), na seguinte ordem decrescente (1) CM - 21.47; 655.90; 49.68; 24.55; 477.90; (2) BA - 12.98; 367.70; 32.76; 10.66; 426.29; (3) FR - 11.60; 273.40; 18.77; 19.35; 368.00; (4) HM - 11.77; 261.00; 17.05; 9.02; 202.79; (5) controle. Correlações foram obtidas entre o carbono microbiano e as enzimas celulase e protease (r = 0.54; p 0.001), e entre o efeito exotérmico e a protease (r = 0.34; p 0.005). A atividade de enzimas esteve diretamente relacionada à microbiota do solo, refletindo, dessa forma, no efeito térmico total.