Impacto do terraceamento em plantio direto nos atributos biológicos na região dos Campos Gerais do Paraná

Abstract

Soil health is essential for the sustainability of agricultural systems, as it directly influences productivity, nutrient cycling, and environmental conservation. This study evaluated the temporal effect of terracing on biological soil health in areas managed under a no-till system between 2020 and 2024, at the “Capão da Onça” Teaching Farm (UEPG), Paraná. Two megaplots were compared: one with terraces (CT) and one without terraces (ST), both under no-till management. The biological indicators analyzed included microbial biomass (C-MB and N-MB), microbial activity (basal respiration and metabolic quotient), soil proteins related to glomalin (easily extractable and total), and enzymatic activity (arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase, and urease). Data were subjected to the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and due to non normality, the Friedman test was applied, followed by the Wilcoxon test for multiple comparisons, adopting a significance level of 0.05. The implementation of terraces promoted significant improvements in soil health, with higher values of N-MB, urease, easily extractable and total glomalin-related soil proteins, and acid phosphatase over time. The metabolic quotient was the most variable attribute, whereas urease showed greater stability. In 2020, greater heterogeneity among the indicators was observed, while in 2024, the best biological performance occurred, suggesting cumulative management effects. N-MB and urease were the most sensitive indicators for distinguishing between systems, whereas others showed greater irregularity. The system without terracing exhibited greater variability, with dispersion 47% higher than the terraced system.