ABSTRACT: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are very important to plant nutrition, mostly in terms of acquisition of P and micronutrients. While Acacia mangium is closely associated with AMF throughout the whole cycle, Eucalyptus grandis presents this symbiosis primarily at the seedling stage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of AMF in these two tree species in both pure and mixed plantations during the first 20 months after planting. We evaluated the abundance, richness and diversity of AMF spores, the rate of AMF mycorrhizal root colonization, enzymatic activity and soil and litter C, N and P. There was an increase in AMF root colonization of E. grandis when intercropped with A. mangium as well as an increase in the activity of acid and alkaline phosphatase in the presence of leguminous trees. AMF colonization and phosphatase activities were both involved in improvements in P cycling and P nutrition in soil. In addition, P cycling was favored in the intercropped plantation, which showed negative correlation with litter C/N and C/P ratios and positive correlation with soil acid phosphatase activity and soil N and P concentrations. Intercropping A. mangium and E. grandis maximized AMF root colonization of E. grandis and phosphatase activity in the soil, both of which accelerate P cycling and forest performance.

Pasture degradation is a concern, especially in susceptible sandy soils for which strategies to recover them must be developed. Microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators are useful in the guindace of soil management practices and sustainable soil use. We assessed the success of threePanicum maximum Jacq. cultivars in the reclamation of a pasture in a sandy Typic Acrudox in the northwest of the state of Paraná, Brazil, based on soil health indicators. On a formerly degraded pasture withUrochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R.D. Webster, a trial with threeP. maximum (cv. Massai, Tanzânia, or Mombaça) was conducted. Lime and phosphate were applied at set-up, and mineral N and K as topdressing. A remnant of degraded pasture adjacent to the trial was used as control. Twenty-three chemical, physical, microbiological and biochemical attributes were assessed for the 0-10 cm topsoil. The procedures for reclamation improved most of the indicators of soil health in relation to the degraded pasture, such as soil P, mineral N, microbial biomass C, ammonification rate, dehydrogenase activity and acid phosphatase. CO2 evolution decreased, whereas microbial biomass C increased in the pasture under reclamation, resulting in a lower metabolic quotient (qCO2) that points to a decrease in metabolic stress of the microbial community. The reclamation of the pasture withP. maximum, especially cv. Mombaça, were evidenced by improvements in the microbiological and biochemical soil health indicators, showing a recovery of processes related to C, N and P cycling in the soil.

A recuperação de áreas de floresta, principalmente de matas ciliares, tornou-se fator-chave para a adequação ambiental da agricultura, com o propósito de proteger os recursos hídricos e a biota. Entretanto, o cultivo agrícola tradicional, além de ter alterado a ciclagem de nutrientes com a perda de matéria orgânica, biomassa e atividade microbiana, causou também a compactação do solo, o que influencia a posterior implantação de reflorestamentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar quais atributos do solo (físicos, químicos e microbiológicos) mais influenciam o teor de C, N, P e umidade da serapilheira em áreas de mata ciliar com diferentes idades de recuperação (20, 10 e cinco anos), em comparação com uma área nativa (NT). A partir da ANOVA e dos testes de médias (Duncan) e correlação (Pearson), foram verificados quais atributos acompanham o tempo de recuperação e qual a relação entre eles. A análise multivariada de partição da inércia a partir da análise de redundância (pRDA) foi feita a fim de identificar quais atributos do solo foram mais importantes para discriminar entre as áreas, com base nos teores de C, N, P e umidade da serapilheira encontrados nessas áreas. Maior relação C/N da serapilheira foi encontrada nas áreas de 20 (26,8) e de cinco (29,9) anos. Entre os atributos microbiológicos avaliados, observou-se que a respiração basal do solo (C-CO2), o carbono da biomassa microbiana (CBM) e a atividade das enzimas desidrogenase e urease foram diretamente proporcionais ao aumento da idade das áreas. O C e N totais do solo, o N-NO3, o nitrogênio da biomassa microbiana (NBM), a atividade das enzimas desidrogenase e urease, bem como a macroporosidade correlacionaram-se positivamente e a microporosidade, negativamente, com o C e N da serapilheira. A partir da pRDA, o NBM e o carbono total do solo foram os atributos mais importantes para explicar o teor de N e C da serapilheira; a explicação compartilhada foi mais da metade de toda a explicação observada ou 28,2 %. A melhoria das condições físicas do solo e a adição de matéria orgânica que resultam na formação de uma serapilheira mais rica em N pode ser uma forma de melhorar as condições microbiológicas e químicas do solo e de acelerar o processo de recuperação.

Forest recovery, especially of riparian forests, has become a key factor in the environmental planning of agriculture, to protect water resources and the biota. However, traditional agricultural crops have not only affected nutrient cycling by the loss of organic matter and of microbial biomass and activity, but also increased soil compaction, which can later affect reforestation. The aim of this study was to identify the soil (physical, chemical and microbiological) properties that most influence the litter moisture contents of C, N, and P in areas of recovering riparian forests (20, 10 and 5 years old), in comparison with a native site (NT). The analyses ANOVA, Duncan's test and Pearson's correlation were used to identify the properties influenced by time of recovery and to identify the relationship between them. Multivariate analysis and partition of inertia (pRDA) were used to identify the most important soil properties to explain variations in litter C, N, P, and moisture content. The highest litter C:N ratios (26.8 and 29.9, respectively) were found at the recovery sites after 20 and 5 years. Among the microbiological properties, basal respiration (CO2-C), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase and urease activities increased with the age of the recovery sites. Soil total C and N, NO3-N, microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) and dehydrogenase and urease activities showed a positive correlation with litter C and N content, while microporosity shower a negative correlation. According to the pRDA analysis, NBM and soil C were the most important variables to explain litter C and N content. Besides, these variables together explained more than half of the total variation or 28.2 %. The improvement of the soil physical conditions and the addition of organic matter with higher N content could be a possibility of improving the soil microbiological and chemical conditions and accelerate the recovery process.

Soil Health refers to the ecological equilibrium and the functionality of a soil and its capacity to maintain a well balanced ecosystem with high biodiversity above and below surface, and productivity. To understand and use soil health as a tool for sustainability, physical, chemical, and biological properties must be employed to verify which respond to the soil use and management within a desired timescale. Attributes with a rapid response to natural or anthropogenic actions are considered good indicators of soil health. Among the physical indicators, soil texture, aggregation, moisture, porosity, and bulk density have been used, while among chemical indicators total C and N, mineral nutrients, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, among others are well established. However, most of them generally have a slow response, when compared to the biological ones, such as microbial biomass C and N, biodiversity, soil enzymes, soil respiration, etc., in addition to macro and mesofauna. Thus, a systemic approach based on different kinds of indicators (physical, chemical and biological) in assessing soil health would be safer than using only one kind of attribute. Many human activities have caused desertification, loss of biodiversity, disruption of aggregates, loss of organic matter and nutrients, among others. Today, it is imperious to maintain soil health and productivity with increasing emphasis on reforestation and recuperation of degraded areas through the use of organic amendments, reintroduction of plants, soil fauna and microorganisms. This review focused on an integrative view on indicators of soil health to be used as tools for prediction of sustainability in production systems.

A serapilheira é, muitas vezes, um compartimento negligenciado para avaliação e melhor entendimento do comportamento da atividade e biomassa microbiana em plantios florestais. Quase sempre, em estudos dessa natureza, os autores tentam encontrar explicações para o padrão de desenvolvimento de plantas e microrganismos, por meio da avaliação dos nutrientes minerais no solo. Entretanto, considerando-se a dinâmica de disponibilização desses nutrientes, a hipótese é que provavelmente ocorra maior relação entre o crescimento de plantas florestais e da atividade microbiana com os nutrientes presentes na serapilheira. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a atividade e biomassa microbiana e o número mais provável de fungos e bactérias totais cultiváveis do solo e da serapilheira, numa segunda rotação de plantios puros e mistos de Eucalyptus grandis e Acacia mangium, manejados em cultivo mínimo, antes e após a deposição de folhas senescentes. Esses atributos foram relacionados com os teores totais de C, N, P e teor de lignina e polifenóis da serapilheira e C, N e P do solo. Antes da deposição de folhas senescentes, o C da biomassa microbiana da serapilheira foi 46 % maior que a biomassa microbiana do solo nos plantios de E. grandis. Após a deposição foliar, essa diferença diminuiu para 16 %. No entanto, o C da biomassa microbiana da serapilheira no plantio puro de A. mangium foi menor que qualquer um desses valores. Já o N da biomassa microbiana da serapilheira apresentou-se com grande potencial para estocar esse nutriente, sendo, em média, 94 % maior que o N da biomassa microbiana do solo nas duas épocas e em todos os plantios. Houve maior atividade microbiana na serapilheira que no solo. Além disso, o plantio misto e a monocultura de E. grandis com N apresentaram maior atividade microbiana, após a deposição foliar. O número mais provável de fungos e bactérias totais cultiváveis foi maior após a deposição, com maior representação na serapilheira; os fungos foram mais relacionados com os resíduos de E. grandis. De maneira geral, o plantio puro de A. mangium foi mais relacionado com altos teores de lignina e N na serapilheira, principalmente após a deposição foliar. Diferentemente, as monoculturas de E. grandis sempre tiveram relação com os maiores teores de C da serapilheira e de fenóis totais, após a deposição foliar, sendo negativamente relacionadas com os teores de C e N totais do solo. O plantio consorciado promoveu na serapilheira menores relações C:N e C:P e maiores teores de N, P e C da biomassa microbiana, sobretudo após a deposição foliar, o que demonstra a dinâmica desse compartimento. Esse fato pode favorecer melhor ciclagem de nutrientes em longo prazo, com estímulo à atividade microbiana do solo e da serapilheira e à sustentabilidade desse sistema de plantio.

Studies on microbial activity and biomass in forestry plantations often overlook the role of litter, typically focusing instead on soil nutrient contents to explain plant and microorganism development. However, since the litter is a significant source of recycled nutrients that affect nutrient dynamics in the soil, litter composition may be more strongly correlated with forest growth and development than soil nutrient contents. This study aimed to test this hypothesis by examining correlations between soil C, N, and P; litter C, N, P, lignin content, and polyphenol content; and microbial biomass and activity in pure and mixed second-rotation plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium before and after senescent leaf drop. The numbers of cultivable fungi and bacteria were also estimated. All properties were correlated with litter C, N, P, lignin and polyphenols, and with soil C and N. We found higher microbial activity (CO2 evolution) in litter than in soil. In the E. grandis monoculture before senescent leaf drop, microbial biomass C was 46 % higher in litter than in soil. After leaf drop, this difference decreased to 16 %. In A. mangium plantations, however, microbial biomass C was lower in litter than in soil both before and after leaf drop. Microbial biomass N of litter was approximately 94 % greater than that of the soil in summer and winter in all plantations. The number of cultivable fungi and bacteria increased after leaf drop, especially so in the litter. Fungi were also more abundant in the E. grandis litter. In general, the A. mangium monoculture was associated with higher levels of litter lignin and N, especially after leaf drop. In contrast, the polyphenol and C levels in E. grandis monoculture litter were higher after leaf drop. These properties were negatively correlated with total soil C and N. Litter in the mixed stands had lower C:N and C:P ratios and higher N, P, and C levels in the microbial biomass. This suggests more effective nutrient cycling in mixed plantations in the long term, greater stimulation of microbial activity in litter and soil, and a more sustainable system in general.