Relationships between the denitrification capacities of soils and total,water-soluble and readily decomposable soil organic matter

The relationships between the denitrification capacities of 17 surface soils and the amounts of total organic carbon, mineralizable carbon, and water-soluble organic carbon in these soils were investigated. The soils used differed markedly in pH, texture, and organic-matter content. Denitrification capacity was assessed by determining the N evolved as N₂ and N₂O on anaerobic incubation of nitrate-treated soil at 20°C for 7 days, and mineralizable carbon was assessed by determining the C evolved as CO₂ on aerobic incubation of soil at 20°C for 7 days. The denitrification capacities of the soils studied were significantly correlated (r = 0·7771) with total organic carbon and very highly correlated (r = 0·9971) with water-soluble organic carbon or mineralizable carbon. The amount of nitrate N lost on anaerobic incubation of nitrate-treated soils for 7 days was very closely related (r = 0·99971) to the amount of N evolved as N₂ and N₂O.The work reported indicates that denitrification in soils under anaerobic conditions is controlled largely by the supply of readily decomposable organic matter and that analysis of soils for mineralizable carbon or water-soluble organic carbon provides a good index of their capacity for denitrification of nitrate.