Atributos do solo e estrutura da comunidade microbiana em solo salino no semiárido de Pernambuco

Abstract

Extensive area of Northeast Brazil is characterized as semi-arid, with low indices and poor distribution of rainfall and high evapotranspiration, promoting water deficit, which may favor soils degradation by salts. With appropriate technologies, such as revegetation, it would be possible to maintain the environmental balance in this ecosystem so susceptible to degradation. Thus, the experiment was assembled in randomized blocks, with eight treatments (six native species, Atriplex nummularia L., and treatment without plant cultivation), in four replications. Plant growth was monitored periodically. Soil samples were collected at the beginning and end of the experiment to evaluate changes in soil properties. For the chemical characterization, pH, electrical conductivity, soluble and exchangeable cations and total organic carbon were analyzed. For physical characterization, the particle size distribution, bulk density, particle density, porosity, hydraulic conductivity and mechanical resistance to root penetration were determined. To evaluate the biological quality, the microbial biomass, the quantification of C breathed by soil microbiota and the metabolic quotient (qCO2) were determined. To determine the structure and diversity of the microbial communities, soil samples were collected along a salinity gradient and analyzed by means of the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis. The results indicated an increase in salinity over time, especially in the subsurface layers, with Na+ and Cl- concentration, mainly, reaching RAS values > 13%, which can be classified as sodic. Despite the sandy-loam textural class, the soil presented severe physical problems, with increased soil density in depth, reduction of total porosity and hydraulic conductivity, and no resistance to root penetration in the field capacity. Although, due to local climatic conditions, the soil hardly remains in the field capacity condition, presenting lower moisture contents which consequently will tend to increase the penetration resistance of the roots of the plants. From the biological point of view, the only variable that correlated significantly with salinity was soil basal respiration (C-CO2), decreasing as the salt concentration increased. The soil metabolic quotient (qCO2) presented high values, indicating a stress factor, which may be due to the low organic matter content or the greater diversity of bacteria found in the area, which are less efficient in the conversion of the substrate, which may Indirectly related to salinity. The structure of the bacteria and fungi community was not determined by soil salinity level, based on DGGE profiles. But in general terms, it was observed that for the bacterial community the diversity and richness of species do not diminish with the increase of the salinity. The opposite was observed for the fungi community, indicating that they are organisms sensitive to soil salinity.