Enzymatic activities of potato crop soils subjected to conventional management and grassland soils

The effect of soil management on the activities of urease, phosphodiesterase, arylsulphatase, and β-glucosidase in soil samples from three municipalities in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia,Tausa (T), Villapinzon (V), and Zipaquira (Z), was evaluated in this study. Two types of samples were taken in each municipality: 1) soils with a history of potato (Solanum tuberosum) farming using conventional soil managementand agrochemical application (P) and 2) grassland soils that had not been treated with agrochemicals (G). The urease activity for T, V, and Z was higher int he G samples. The phosphodiesterase and arylsulphatase activities for T and V were greater in the G samples, while the β-glucosidase activity for T and Z was greater in the P samples. The phosphodiesterase and β-glucosidase activities for T were lower than for the other two municipalities, indicating a possible effect of the site on these enzymatic activities. The differences in the enzymatic activities among the samples indicate an important effect of soil use and management on the soil’s biochemical properties.