Impact of Salinity on Soil Biological Activities: A Laboratory Experiment

Abstract

In a laboratory study, the impact of sodium chloride (NaCl) on soil quality was examined through the monitoring of soil biological activity. Artificially salinized samples were prepared from the nonsaline soil by adding NaCl at electrical conductivities (EC) 2, 4, and 8 dS·m−1 in saturated extracts. The samples were kept at 25 °C and at 50% field capacity during an incubation period of 40 days. The ATP, soil basal respiration, protease, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and catalase activities were monitored. The biological index of fertility (BIF), the enzyme activity number (EAN), and the metabolic potential (MP) were calculated. A regression analysis was used to calculate parameters from cumulative data of carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution. The size of microbial biomass, measured throughout the determination of ATP, was decreased by increasing salinity. Increasing concentrations of salt up to an EC of 4 dS·m−1 led to an increase of soil respiration. During incubation, protease and dehydrogenase were inhibited by NaCl; however, amylase, alkaline phosphatase, and catalase were not affected by the salt addition. Between indices, EAN confirmed the general depressive effect of NaCl on the biological properties of soil, while MP showed a pattern similar to that of soil respiration. Results of this study chiefly indicate that ATP, soil respiration, protease, dehydrogenase, EAN, and MP were able to put in evidence the effects of NaCl on soil biological activity and may be regarded as suitable tools to show the physiological reaction of soil microbial biomass under saline stress.