The microbial properties of Cerrado soil are affected by the soil texture and land use

Agricultural expansion in the Cerrado has altered the microbial properties of the soil, influenced by soil texture and land use type. The objective was to evaluate the impacts of conventional tillage, no-tillage, silviculture, and pasture on the microbial properties of Cerrado Oxisols with different clay contents. The experimental design was a randomized block design, with soil samples collected at a depth of 0.1 m. The total organic carbon (TOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil respiration, microbial quotient, respira-tory quotient, and enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis) were analyzed. The results showed that soils with higher clay content had higher values of TOC, MBC, and microbial activity compared to soils with lower clay content. In clayey soils, no-tillage and silviculture promoted greater carbon retention and microbial activity. Principal component analysis indicated that clay content had a greater influence on microbial properties than soil management. Thus, clay content stood out as a crucial factor in soil quality, with clayey soils, especially under no-tillage and silviculture, showing a great-er potential to preserve microbiological quality.