The Number and Enzymic Activity of Microorganisms in the Soil Under Wheat Grown after Sugar Beet

Abstract

The microbiological activity in compact and loose soil under wheat grown after sugar beet was investigated. The trial was set on a calcareous chemozem soil. The microbiological activity in the soil" under wheat depended on the degree of the soil compactness, soil depth, species of microorganisms and time of sampling for the analysis. The number of almost all the investigated groups of microorganisms and the activity of the dehydrogenase, protease and urease enzymes were lower in the compact soil than in the loose soil. The number and enzymic activity of microorganisms decreased with the increase of the profile depth both in the compact and loose soils. The microbiological activity was on average highest in the first, and lowest in the last soil sampling period.