Soil enzyme activity under arsenic-stressed area of Purbasthali, West Bengal, India

A study was conducted to assess the seasonal variations of soil enzymes (amylase, invertase, cellulase, and urease), and physicochemical parameters of soil in an arsenic (As)-contaminated area. Ten different sampling sites of Purbasthali, West Bengal, India, were chosen for this experiment, and the collected data were compared with that of the control area, Burdwan University Farm, Burdwan. The As concentrations were found to be high in all experimental soil samples. Only urease and amylase activities were found to vary significantly (p < 0.01) with organic carbon content during pre-monsoon season but nonsignificant (p > 0.05) relationships were recorded between soil enzyme activities and organic carbon content during the post-monsoon period. Again urease and cellulase activities were found to vary significantly (p < 0.05) with soil As content in both pre-and post-monsoon periods, respectively. Similar observations were recorded from cluster analysis in both the seasons. Moreover, all tested soil enzymes activities except urease in post-monsoon period have shown significant relationship (p < 0.01, p < 0.05) with soil moisture in both pre-and post-monsoon periods. Therefore, it is suggested that the study of enzymatic activities and physicochemical parameters of soil may be helpful in assessing the effects of As on the biochemical quality of soils.