Soil Microbial Attributes Under Agroforestry Systems in the Cerrado of Minas Gerais

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to evaluate the soil microbiological attributes of two Agroforestry Systems (AFS) in the city of Grão Mogol-MG considering two soil classes (Udox and Aqualf). Three composite samples were collected from the 0-5 cm soil depth layer. Each sample was subsequently divided into five replications to evaluate the carbon of soil microbial biomass (SMB-C), metabolic quotient (qCO₂), microbial quotient (qMIC), basal respiration (SBR) and the soil CO₂ efflux. The microbiological attributes of the soil were more influenced by the season than by the AFS group. The BMS-C and SBR were higher in the dry season while the CO₂ efflux was higher during the rainy season. The similar values of the microbiological attributes between the evaluated systems indicate that AFS are efficient at incorporating carbon and maintaining the soil biological activity similar to that of native vegetation areas.

Keywords:
soil microbial biomass; CO₂ efflux; conservation systems