Ecosystem managers and policymakers require such a tool to assist them in promoting the sustainability of agricultural and forest systems. Historically, chemical and physical properties have been used as crude measures of soil productivity. Most notably, determination of soil organic matter has been related to general soil tilth but changes too slowly to be useful ecological indicator. There is growing evidence that soil biological parameters may have potential as early and sensitive indicators of soil ecological stress or restoration. Soil enzymes play an important role in soil microbial ecology by catalyzing innumerable reactions in soils, and have potential as an index of the effect of soil and ecosystem management on soil biology.
Many enzyme assays are simple to run and are sensitive to temporal changes due to soil management.
Located in a humid maritime of Western Oregon, this project represents the intensively managed vegetable systems of the region. Air-dried samples were stored at 4 C and used for all enzyme assays. At the agricultural research sites, samples were randomly taken within the center of the plots at each sampling period. Soil Enzyme Assay Results. Three enzyme assays were investigated to determine their effectiveness in reflecting soil management effects.