Assessment of the microbiological activity in agricultural and urban soils

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the enzymatic soil and the number of selected microorganisms in urban soil, which are located in the lane of the reconstructed road and compare it with a soil cultivated for agricultural purposes. The conducted analysis showed significant differences between the results of the soil taken from the roadway and the soil cultivated from agricultural purposes. The C:N ratio in soils of the roadway (from 24 to 31) indicated that they were degraded and heavily degraded soils. Urban soils had a neutral pH. The activity of dehydrogenase (1.93-6.95 µg TPF g -1 ·h -1 ), acid phosphatase (2.42-4.92 mM pNP·g -1 ·h -1 ) and alkaline phosphatase (2.34-4.80 mM pNP·g -1 ·h -1 ) in urban soils were low. In agricultural soils the acid phosphatase enzyme levels ranged 6.32-8.04 mM pNP·g -1 ·h -1 , and alkaline phosphatase were 7.26-9.16 mM pNP·g -1 ·h -1 . In urban soil samples collected along the roadway, a significant correlation between potassium and dehydrogenase activity, and between the C:N ratio and the activity of acid phosphatase was found.

The impact of agricultural soil usage on activity and abundance of ammonifying bacteria in selected soils from Poland

“…Guo et al ( 2010 ), Swędrzyńska et al ( 2013 ), and Wolińska et al ( 2014 ) proved that systematic agricultural practices contribute to a significant decrease in pH values towards acidification, which is one of the causes of soil degradation. Also Dec ( 2014 ) reported that agricultural soils are characterized by a slightly acidic reaction (pH 6.3–6.5). Additionally, our observations might be supported by the findings of Valpassos et al ( 2001 ), who reported that a no-tillage (controls) system showed the highest carbon content.…”

“…Investigations performed by Marinkovic et al ( 2012 ) indicated that the highest abundance of ammonifiers was obtained in the case of chernozem, as well as in cambisol and solonetz, while the lowest number was found in fluvisol (8.13 × 10 6 cfu g −1 ). The microbial population and its activity are known to depend greatly on soil pH (Guo et al 2010 ; Swędrzyńska et al 2013 ; Dec 2014 ; Wolińska et al 2014 ), i.e. low pH values significantly decrease microbial activity, and AB abundance was lower in agricultural soils (Wielgosz et al 2010 ; Liu et al 2013 ; Bhuyan et al 2014 ).…”

Selected Properties of Soils for Long-Term Use in Organic Farming

“…Soil is one of the most important components of the environment. With respect to its functions in biomass production, carbon sequestration, organic matter decomposition, sorption and storage of mineral as well as organic compounds, it has a multifaceted effect on the natural and cultural environment [1]. Human activity associated with crop production leads to changes in soil properties, and these changes could deteriorate soil quality by hindering the productivity and functioning of natural ecosystems.…”

Influence of Zn, Cd, and Cu fractions on enzymatic activity of arable soils

“…The biological activity of the soil is evaluated mainly on the basis of the activity of four enzymes: dehydrogenase, phosphatase, urease, and protease (Dec 2014 ). Often, only dehydrogenase activity is used for this purpose (Kaczyński et al 2016 ).…”