Metabolic activity of microorganisms is one of the main processes of control on the nutrient transformation in soil. However, the activity of the soil microbiota is affected by various factors such as the available nutrients, including phosphorus. The present work had as objective to show an approach of the effect of phosphorus addition (50 to 500 mg kg-1 P of dry soil) on the respiratory response of soil microbiota and the amount of extra and intracellular glucose in typic acrustox of Cerrado.The following analyses were carried: amount of C-CO2 evolved; total organic carbon e; extra and intracellular glucose in soil. During the incubation for 31 days, the respiratory activity (daily activity) increased in 6,30 to 23,59 with phosphorus addition, when compared to the control. However, the ratio between the daily carbon evolved (C-CO2) and the added phosphorus decreased, showing a reduction of the efficiency of nutrient utilization. The amount of the extracellular glucose was very smaller than the intracellular glucose. At end of 31 days of incubation, the amount of glucose decreased due to phosphorus addition, showing the consumption of sugar by microorganisms under experimental conditions. Negative metabolic correlation (r= -0.97, p<0.01) between the daily respiration and the intracellular glucose was shown. The soil organic carbon decreased only in the treatment with 500 mg P kg-1of dry soil, being other treatments similar to the control. The strong relation between an increasing of microorganism activity and a decreasing of intracellular glucose occurred, suggesting that the response of soil microbiota to phosphorus addition can be associated to the intracellular glucose content.
Glucose; organic carbon; soil respiration; phosphorus; Cerrado
