The Importance of Soil Enzymes and Implementation in Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Soil is commonly referred to as the top layer of the earth's crust that has formed from bedrock. Anthropogenic activity, especially agriculture, often irreversibly affects its original physical, chemical and biological properties. We often forget about its fundamental importance in giving or taking life from plants to animals and microorganisms. It is extremely important to ensure good soil quality through the continuous monitoring and tracking of changes that occur during the use of fertilizers, plant protection products or the introduction of enzymes to improve crop quality.

Enzymes occur in the soil and water environment: their origin is associated with microorganisms, and they are involved in the synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids and participate in the cycle of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and other nutrients. Soil enzymes are natural mediators and catalysts of many important soil processes, such as decomposition of organic matter released into the soil during plant vegetation, reactions of the formation and decomposition of soil humus, release and making available to plants of mineral substances and fixation of molecular nitrogen. Determining soil enzyme activity is one aspect of basic research capable of indicating the condition of the soil environment. That is why constant monitoring and research related to enzymes is such an important problem, as is their use in agriculture and caring for the good condition of the soil environment. It is important to remember that we did not inherit the soil from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

We encourage and invite all scientists dealing with these issues to present their research results in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Jadwiga Stanek-Tarkowska
Guest Editor

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• physical
• chemical
• and biological properties of soils
• fertilization
• soil additives
• cultivation systems
• microorganisms
• and enzymes
• soil-forming processes
• soil profile