The horticultural crops can be produced with the conventional system using pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, or organic system where there is no use of synthetic pesticides and its main source of nutrients are organic wastes. This study aimed to assess the biomass and soil microbial activity in organic production systems and conventional with their respective reference areas. In this study, soil samples were sampled in three farms with conventional tillage and three other with organ system, and their respective reference areas. It was determined total carbon and nitrogen and microbial, and microbial activity after 57 days of incubation. The greatest variation in basal respiration rate between the respective production area and reference area was observed in the organic system. The nutrients in the soil microbial carbon and nitrogen were higher in the production areas than those in the reference areas.
CO2 evolution; microbial activity; microbial carbon and nitrogen
