Abstract

SILVA, Michelle; SIQUEIRA, Edmar Ramos  and  COSTA, Jefferson Luis da Silva. Flurescein diacetate hydrolysis as a bioindicator of microbial activity in soil under reforestation. Cienc. Rural [online]. 2004, vol.34, n.5, pp. 1493-1496. ISSN 0103-8478.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-84782004000500025.

The microbial activity has been used as a bioindicator of soil quality. In this paper the method of fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis (FDA) was used to determine the microbial activity of a soil submitted to four treatments: reforestation with native species of Atlantic forest, reforestation with exotic species, reforestation with neem, sucupira and stick-pigeon, soil not submitted to reforestation and the soil of native Atlantic forest that were used as comparison patterns. The treatments that presented higher microbial activity were the soils reforested with native and exotic species. The method of FDA was effective as an indicator of microbial activity in soils submitted to reforestations.

Keywords : atlantic forest; exotic species; bioindicator; soil microbiology.