The Impact of Cultivation on Some Soil Biological Properties: A Case Study in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran

Various evaluations have shown that agricultural operations can have a dramatic impact on the quality of soils. Therefore, knowledge of soil quality in agricultural and natural resources is essential for optimal land management and achieving maximum economic efficiency. In this research, the long-term effects of conventional agricultural management in three areas of Ziveh, Nazlo, and Sirdagh with different moisture properties. Four soil samples (including two cultivated soil samples and two adjacent un-cultivated soil samples as control) were collected from each region in West Azerbaijan province. Some soil biological and chemical properties were investigated. Basal respiration rates, respiration due to substrate, microbial biomass, microbial population and nematode populations were investigated. The results showed that cultivation reduced basal respiration, substrate induced respiration, microbial population and nematode population in the studied areas. Also in uncultivated land use basal respiration rates (1.25, 1.1 and 1.75) and substrate respiration (1.8, 2.2 and 1.4) increase related to cultivated in the studied areas Sirdaghi, Naslow and ziveh, respectively. Basal respiration, substrate-induced respiration, carbon availability index and population of nematodes were 1.25, 1.8, 1.6 and 3.28 times higher in uncultivated related to cultivated in Sirdaghi, respectively. In general, it can be concluded that unscientific cultivation operations and lack of increasing organic matter will result in a loss of biological properties, and in the long- time result a decrease in soil quality.