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Extractable N and P in relation to microbial biomass in UK acid organic soils

  • Section 3: Measurements of Microbial Populations and Biomass: Their Roles in Soil Processes
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Summary

Samples of peat and mor humus were treated with CHCl3 to kill microbial cells and the amounts of C as CO2, N as soluble- and mineral-N, and P as inorganic-P released by the treatment were compared with estimates of the microbial biomass by the Anderson and Domsch test and ATP determination. Increased amounts of soluble-N and inorganic-P, extracted with 1M KCl and 0.01M CaCl2 respectively, were detected immediately after the fumigation treatment. However, the subsequent rates of production of CO2−C and mineral-N measured during a 10-day incubation period at 25°C were low and variable, resulting in anomalously low estimates of microbial biomass. The flush of inorganic-P was more consistent and, in mor humus, generally related to biomass-C as measured by the Anderson and Domsch test.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Peat and Forest Soils and Microbiology, The Macaulay Institute for Soil Research, AB9 2QJ, Aberdeen, Scotland

    B. L. Williams & G. P. Sparling

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  1. B. L. Williams
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  2. G. P. Sparling
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Williams, B.L., Sparling, G.P. Extractable N and P in relation to microbial biomass in UK acid organic soils. Plant Soil 76, 139–148 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02205574

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02205574

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