Soil microbiological attributes under the cultivation of Pennisetum purpureum genotypes

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the biological quality of soil under the influence of different genotypes of elephant grass in the agreste region, which has a climate that marks the transition between a humid climate with a dry season and the semi-arid climate of the north-eastern hinterland. The study was conducted at the Experimental Farm of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Garanhuns, PE, Brazil. The treatments comprised a combination of two elephant grass cultivars (Elefante B and Mott), two irrigation regimes (with and without irrigation), and two climatic periods (dry and rainy). Biological indicators, microbial biomass carbon, soil basal respiration, metabolic quotient, enzymatic activity of soil β-glucosidase, acid and alkaline phosphatase, arylsulfatase, urease, and the hydrolytic determination of fluorescein diacetate were evaluated. The Mott genotype showed superior results, attributed to the biological indicators studied at different times and irrigation management, even during periods of drought, and Mott grass had significant effects microbial activities. This genotype constitutes one of the alternatives for soil quality in semiarid regions, with advantageous biomass and soil microbial activity, thus presenting the greatest complexity in biological attributes with microorganisms tolerant to climate change.

Keywords

• enzymatic activity
• bioindicators
• soil quality
• soil water content
• temporal variability