Organic matter mineralization depends on how microbiota access nutrients, substrates and soil fertilization. This study shows influence of perennial (sugarcane) and annual (soybean and corn) crops on the activity of enzymes participating in the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and proposes using hydrolases as bioindicators of soil quality. Samples were collected, during dry season and rainfall, in six different plots where sugarcane, soybean, corn and native Cerrado soils could be found at the same location. We evaluated chemical properties and activity of α-and β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, protease and glycine aminopeptidase from 48 samples collected at 0-10 cm depth. Sample of monoculture soils showed low organic matter content, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and microbial biomass carbon. Native Cerrado soils had major activities of α-and β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and glycine aminopeptidase while sugarcane areas showed minor values. Despite native vegetation replacement decreasing biodiversity and reducing soil biochemical activity, annual crops stimulate microbial activity in this environment and maintain nutrient cycling. Soil hydrolase activities can be used as bioindicators of these ecosystems.

In this paper we discuss the impact on conversion degraded pasture areas into an integrated crop, livestock and forest system (ICLFS). We collected 30 soil samples at 0-0.1 m depth in five agroforestry systems, degraded pasture and native areas along Brazilian Cerrado biome. We analyzed the influence of chemical variables on microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity using multivariate statistic analysis. The land use explained only the variation of microbial biomass carbon and seasonality explained the variation in glycine aminopeptidase activity. The sample controls differ from the other soil areas due to their greater biological activity (MBC). The enzymatic indicators showed that the biological activity is lower in degraded pasture. It was observed that the ICLFS system had a positive effect on the microbial activity (MBC and soil enzyme) when compared to pasture. This reinforces the importance of adopting more sustainable practices to improve soil quality.

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of depth, seasonality and phytophysiognomies on the biochemical activity of soils in native Cerrado biome. Additionally, we listed which chemical parameters influence the activity of the microbiota and enzymatic activity in these environments. We selected eight sampling areas of Cerradão (Forest) and four areas of Cerrado (shrub land) and evaluated the chemical characteristics and biochemical activity. The depth, sampling site and seasonality directly affected soil metabolic activity. Microbial biomass carbon was influenced by interaction between soil depth and sampling site and the enzyme activity tends to be higher in the superficial layer of the soil. The analysis of redundancy showed strong influence of environmental variables (phosphorus and CTC) on the biological activity of the soil. Thus, the metabolic activity of microorganisms is highly influenced by intrinsic soil characteristics of each sampling site.