Conversion of degraded pastures as a strategy for recovering soil biological quality in the Brazilian Cerrado

Degradation of pastures in the Brazilian Cerrado compromises agricultural productivity and soil biological functioning, highlighting the need for more sustainable management strategies. In this context, integrated agricultural systems have shown potential to restore soil health, even in the short term. This study aimed to evaluate soil biological attributes under different land-use and management systems, including pastures, forage consortia, and integrated crop–livestock–forest systems (ICLFS), in an experimental area located in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design arranged in strips, comprising seven land-use systems. Microbial biomass carbon (Cmic), basal soil respiration (RBS), metabolic quotient (qCO₂), microbial quotient (qMIC), and the activities of β-glucosidase and arylsulfatase were assessed. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). The first two principal components explained 85.2% of the total variance, with PC1 mainly associated with Cmic, qMIC, lower qCO₂ values, and enzymatic activity, whereas PC2 was related to basal respiration and microbial metabolic stress. Systems with greater plant diversification, such as forage consortia and ICLFS, showed positive associations with higher Cmic and qMIC values, lower qCO₂, and greater enzymatic activity, whereas poorly managed pastures were associated with higher qCO₂ values, indicating increased microbial metabolic stress and lower carbon use efficiency. Overall, the conversion of degraded pastures into integrated systems promotes short-term improvements in soil biological quality, reinforcing their potential for the sustainability of production systems in the Cerrado biome.