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Tropical soils withstand heavy pressure due to deforestation as a result of the change in land use, decreasing their quality. Traditionally, the quality of soil has been based on physical and chemical indicators; however, the biological ones can predict variations in the quality, in an early and effective way. In this research, the microbiological quality of soils from two ecosystems was evaluated, one from the Cumbaza Sub-Basin (CSB) and the other from Degraded Pastures at Cuñumbuque (DPC), both in San Martín, Peru. The physicochemical characteristics were studied and the microbial populations of Total Bacteria (TB), Sporulated Bacteria (SB), Total Fungi (TF), Actinobacteria (ACT), and parameters of microbial activity such as Basal Respiration (BR), Microbial Biomass (MB), Metabolic Quotient (qCO2) and Microbial Quotient (qMIC). According to the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), the soils of the CSB had on average a lower biological quality compared to the DPC soils. The PCA discriminated that the microbial populations of TB, SB, ACT and MB represented effective microbiological indicators to evaluate the quality of the soils, in this respect the soils of Shapumba, Chontal, Aucaloma and Vista Alegre are degraded and require the application of new technologies and public policies for their recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are organisms that form mutualistic associations with most plants, favoring their development, especially those located in degraded areas. In order to identify the different predominant native AMF morphotypes, and determine the percentage of colonization, and spore density in soils of the Cumbaza sub-basin in San Martin, Peru, soil samples were taken from degraded areas of Chirikyacu, Vista Alegre, El Chontal, San Antonio de Cumbaza, Aucaloma and Shapumba, and they were associated with 4 legumes cover crops among them, Cajanus cajan, Canavalia ensiformis, Crotalaria juncea and Vigna unguiculata. A completely random design was used, considering 6 zones and 4 legumes with 3 replications. The results showed that the treatments with legumes had greater influence in the mycorrhizal colonization in comparison with the zones of study, being Vigna unguiculata the one that had greater colonization (75%). However, the number of spores was influenced mainly by the zones, where the Aucaloma treatment had the highest number (252 spores / 10 g of soil). Eleven native AMF morphotypes were identified, being those of the genus Acaulospora the most predominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]