Beneficial Microorganisms Associated with an Agroforestry System Enhance the Soil Quality of Cuñumbuque Pastures in San Martín, Perù

Microbial activity plays an essential role in preserving soil quality and increasing crop production. Agroforestry systems, in turn, emerge as a promising alternative for managing soil in an agroecological and sustainable manner. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological indicators of soil quality in an agroforestry system in the Mayo River basin, Cuñumbuque, San Martin, Peru. The experimental design was carried out using randomized blocks with 5 treatments (T) and 4 replications. The evaluated systems included: T1, Recovering pasture + chemical fertilization + agroforestry component 1; T2, Recovering pasture + beneficial microorganisms + agroforestry component 1; T3, Recovering pasture + agroforestry component 1; T4, Recovering pasture + beneficial microorganisms + agroforestry component 2; and T5, the control containing only recovering pasture. Soil sampling was conducted three times every 60 days after the experiment installation, assessing the physicochemical characteristics of the soil, microbial biomass, basal respiration, and urease and phosphatase enzyme activity. Overall, treatments T2 and T4, which included beneficial microorganisms and agroforestry components, showed the best results in terms of microbial biomass, basal respiration, urease, and phosphatase enzyme activity, standing out as suitable indicators of soil quality in pasture areas.