Soil Microbial Biomass of Pea ( Pisium sativum cv. Little Marvel) in Response to Three Atmospheric Air Regimes at Al Baha Region, KSA

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of atmospheric air on soil health in pots involving the growth of pea under two soil moisture regimes. Twelve pots were treated with three air quality treatments of urban, suburban and rural sites. In situ soil respiration increased under urban and suburban while it decreased little under rural site atmospheric conditions. These data support the relationships between the number of microorganisms in soils and carbon dioxide fluxes. Microbial biomass, metabolic quotient and crop yields or biomass were found most sensitive indicators of soil quality, which significantly varied in response to air quality and soil moisture regimes. The soil microbial biomass, metabolic quotient, and basal respiration were the most practical quality index variables; however, when using only a single predicator, microbial biomass was the most sensitive indicator of the soil quality.