Plant diversity in integrated crop-livestock systems increases the soil enzymatic activity in the short term

ABSTRACT Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) intercropped in the pasture phase promote alterations in the dynamics of soil attributes, among them the enzymatic activity. This study aimed to evaluate soil enzymatic and microbial activities, following the implementation of ICLS with increased plant diversity during the pasture phase. The study consisted of soybean cultivation at season and pasture with different diversity levels in the off-season: very low - monocropped Urochloa brizantha cv. BRS Paiaguás with no animal entry; low - monocropped Paiaguás; medium - Paiaguás and cowpea bean (Vigna unguiculata); high - Paiaguás, cowpea bean and niger (Guizotia abyssinica); very high - Paiaguás, cowpea bean, niger, buckwheat (Fogopyrum esculentum) and forage turnip (Raphanus sativus). The introduction of plants from different families, associated to grazing, positively affected the enzymatic activities of acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase and urease. In relation to microbial biomass carbon and basal respiration, there were no effects from the treatments. Therefore, among the evaluated biochemical soil attributes, the activities of some soil enzymes were more sensitive in demonstrating, in the short term, the positive effects of the increased plant variety in the ICLS pasture phase.