Enzymatic Activity and Functional Diversity of Soil Microbial Communities in Agricultural Soils

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is the main constituent of terrestrial ecosystems and the principle matrix essential in agricultural production. Suitable soil functioning is indispensable for supporting the biochemical cycles of the main important nutrients, and that is why soil processes influence a range of biotic and abiotic constituents of the soil ecosystem. To recognize and understand the functioning of soil and to hold back soil damage that is caused by anthropogenic factors, including agricultural management practices, it is crucial to have adequate tools which can determine and predict possible changes in soil. Studies of soil microbial population diversity and soil enzymes are significant because they play the principal biochemical functions in organic matter formation and decomposition, as well as nutrient turnover in a soil ecosystem, the stabilization of soil structure, and decomposition of pollutants, thus playing an important role in soil fertility and productivity. Since these properties are highly sensitive towards various environmental conditions and quickly respond to different agricultural practices, they are willingly applied to determine the influence of management practices on general soil status, with special attention being paid to soil biological functioning.

In this Special Issue, authors are invited to publish their articles related to (1) the assessment of the enzymatic activity and diversity of soil microbial communities; (2) the establishment of relationships between soil microbial properties and the effects of agricultural practices and soil quality; and (3) identifying which microbial groups play crucial roles in soil processes. Studies assessing the diversity of soil microbiota and proving its importance in maintaining agroecosystem stability are especially welcome. This Special Issue also focuses on the investigation of the global, widely used soil fertility/quality indicators by using a complex expression consisting of various microbial, enzymatic, and physicochemical properties. Strategies based on such indicators are often used to determine the status of the soil ecosystem. Finally, this Special Issue welcomes newly developed methodical approaches focusing on microbial activity and diversity in different types of agricultural soils.

Prof. Dr. Anna Piotrowska-Długosz
Guest Editor

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• soil enzymes
• microbial functional diversity
• agricultural soils
• soil health
• soil fertility
• indicators of soil quality
• management practices