Comparative Assessment of Microbial Abundance and Activity between No-Tillage and Secondary Forest in the Atlantic Forest Biome

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Agricultural practices alter soil properties and functions; however, biological indicators remain underexplored in soil health assessments. We investigated the sensitivity of key soil enzymes (arylsulfatase, urease, acid phosphatase, and β-glucosidase) and other biological indicators, including basal soil respiration (BSR), microbial biomass carbon, metabolic quotient, and total and easily extractable glomalin-related soil protein (T-GRSP and EE-GRSP), in distinguishing secondary forest from no-tillage. Soil samples were collected across seven mesoregions of Paraná State, southern Brazil. Statistical analyses were performed using Wilcoxon non-parametric tests (α ≤ 0.05). SF soils exhibited significantly higher microbial abundance and activity in 76% of the evaluated parameters, with arylsulfatase activity and GRSP showing the greatest sensitivity, as significant differences were observed across all seven locations. These findings underscore the ecological importance of forest fragments within agricultural landscapes. GRSP and arylsulfatase activity effectively reflect land use changes, offering practical tools for rapid soil health assessment in the Atlantic Forest biome.