Impacts of integrated crop-livestock-forest on microbiological indicators of soil

Abstract

The integrated systems are management practices that maximize the area use through the integration of crops with forest species. Impacts on the microbial biomass in an integrated crop-livestock-forest (iCLF) system are evaluated. The latter consists of simple, double and triple rows of eucalyptus and soil with soybean/pasture alternation with a native forest for comparison. Soil was collected at a depth of 0-0.05 m during the rainy and dry periods (March and October/2010). Evaluated microbiological indexes were biomass carbon, basal respiration, metabolic and microbial quotients, activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase enzymes and ?-glucosidase. General means of biomass microbial carbon and microbial quotients were higher during the dry period, whereas variables basal respiration and metabolic quotients were higher during the rainy period, and in both cases activities in iCLF soil with single eucalyptus rows. Enzyme activities were more stable in integrated crop-livestock-forest soil between the two periods and slightly higher than the other systems. As a rule, iCLF systems had a positive impact on the microbiology of soil.