ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Hydrolases Related to C and N Cycles and Soil
Fertility Amendment: Responses to Different
Management Styles of Agro-Ecosystems
Ligita Baležentienė
More details
Hide details
Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Studentų 11, Akademija, Kaunas distr., Lithuania
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2012;21(5):1153-1159
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Extracellular enzyme activity is proposed as a universe index of soil fertility and contamination. To
ascertain and to make a comparison of bioactivity variation during vegetation period, a variety of soil samples
(including Hapli-Epihypogleyic Luvisol, Albi-Epihypogleyic Luvisol, and Hapli Albic Luvisol) were collected
from rotation fields of different fertilizing and farming systems, namely extensive (ExF), conventional (CF)
and organic (OF). The objective of this study was to determine soil bioactivity responses (saccharase and urease
activity) on different land management systems and the main recourses of ecological factors such as soil
genesis type, content of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N), and C/N ratio. The trial was comprised
of eight experimental plots (three land management systems and two or three crop groups: legumes, gramineous,
rapeseed, and bare fallow).
The lowest mean of urease (1.13 mg NH4-
+N g-1) and saccharase (8.40 mg CG g-1·24 h-1) activity was
observed in abandoned grassland soil where mineral fertilizers were not applied. A general increase of
hydrolytic enzyme activity has been observed in soil under conventional (144-413% of urease and 49-50% of
saccharase) and organic (219-269% of urease and 78-221% of saccharase) management as compared with
abandoned grassland. A strong correlation between enzyme activity and SOC (r = 0.7) was determined.
Therefore, it can be concluded that farming management and soil fertility might be responsible for the different
levels of enzyme activities in soil.