The strength and direction of copper’s adverse effect on enzymes was determined not only by the level of contamination and the cultivated plant species, but also by the type of soil use and management (Table 4). Regardless of the degree of soil’s contamination with copper, on average, higher levels of β-glucosidase, alkaline phosphatase and arylsulfatase were determined in cropped than in uncropped soil. The average activity of acid phosphatase was comparable in both series. β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and arylsulfatase were more resistant to copper’s inhibitory effect in uncropped
than in cropped soil (Table 5), whereas the average resistance of alkaline phosphatase to copper was similar in both series.