THE VOLATILISATION, FROM SOILS AND MIXTURES OF SOIL COMPONENTS, OF IODINE ADDED AS POTASSIUM IODIDE

Iodine, as potassium iodide in solution, was added to samples of 24 surface soils, 15 subsoils and 16 mixtures of sand with other materials representing soil components, at 10 μg iodine/g soil. The extent of volatilisation of the added iodine was measured after 30 days' exposure in a well-ventilated room. With many of the surface soils volatilisation was negligible although with an acid sandy podsol it amounted to 57 per cent of the iodine added. Eleven of the subsoils induced volatilisation amounting to > 10 per cent of that added. With sand alone, having a pH of 5.7, volatilisation amounted to 100 per cent, and with the mixtures it ranged from nil to 100 per cent. Organic matter reduced volatilisation, probably by retaining the iodine in bound form. Montmorillonite, kaolinite and ferric oxide also reduced volatilisation in comparison with sand alone, but had less effect than did organic matter. Calcium carbonate, although in general reducing volatilisation, probably through its influence on pH and hence on retention by other materials, caused no reduction when added to sand alone.     

THE CONTENTS AND SORPTION OF CADMIUM IN SOME AGRICULTURAL SOILS OF ENGLAND AND WALES

Cadmium sorption was measured in 10 agricultural soils with pH ranging from 4.5 to 7.9, and total Cd content from 0.27 to 1.04 μg g^?1 dry soil. With initial Cd concentrations of 0.5 to 100.0 μM, sorption from 0.002 M CaCl₂ was described by the Freundlich adsorption equation but the gradients of the isotherms increased when the initial concentrations were below 0.5 μm. This indicates that there are specific sites of differing sorption energy; differences between soils in the gradients of the isotherms at low initial concentration could largely be accounted for by their contents of ‘free’ Fe₂O₃. When initial concentrations were below 0.5 μm there was a linear relationship between the quantity of Cd sorbed and the final concentration in solution. This relationship held with all soils except that of lowest pH from which there was a net loss of Cd to the solutions. Desorption was measured from three soils with contrasting pH. With the soil of lowest pH, over 80 per cent of sorbed Cd was desorbed to 0.002 m CaCl₂ and up to 30 per cent to 100 or 500 μm solutions of heavy metal chlorides. In contrast, only very small proportions (<1.25 per cent) were desorbed from the other soils with pH 6.7 and 7.8. The results indicate that Cd is strongly sorbed by soils of pH of above 6.0 when added in amounts comparable to additions in sewage sludges or phosphatic fertilizers, and illustrate the importance of liming as a means of reducing the mobility of this metal in soils.     

DISTRIBUTION OF FORMS OF NITROGEN IN A PODZOLIC SOIL PROFILE FROM GARPENBERG, CENTRAL SWEDEN

The chemical nature and distribution patterns of the forms of N in a podzolic soil profile from central Sweden, developed under a stand of Norway spruce, were studied. Total N, native fixed NH₄, acid hydrolysable-N, and the amounts of ammonia, hexosamine, and amino-acid N in the hydrolysate were determined. From 17 to 27 per cent of the N was insoluble in 6N HC1, the highest percentage being in the A₂ horizon. Amino-acids in the acid hydrolysates decreased from 50 per cent of the total N content of the soil in the humus layer (A₀) to 24 per cent in the B horizon. Amino-acid composition varied little in samples from different horizons. Hexosamine-N was 11–14 per cent of the total soil N, tending to increase with depth. Approximately 15 per cent of the total soil N was found in the soil hydrolysate as NH₄. Values for native fixed NH₄ extracted by N HF: N HCl were 34–80 ppm but were reduced to 10–17 ppm when corrected for the NH₄ released by N HCl only. The figures thus obtained are considerably lower than those reported by other workers.     

DISTRIBUTION OF CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE AQUEOUS PHASE OF AEROBIC SOILS

Theory predicts that in the aqueous phase of aerobic soils carbon dioxide concentration/distance gradients are 1·35 times as large as those for oxygen. Because of differences in solubility, the partial pressure/distance gradients of carbon dioxide should be less than one-twentieth of the gradients of oxygen partial pressure. Experiments were carried out to test this prediction. In some experiments oxygen partial pressures were measured directly by means of a micro-electrode and carbon dioxide indirectly by methods involving microelectrode determinations of specific conductance in agar-CaCO₃ gel. Measurements were made in models of water-saturated soil consisting of yeast cells embedded in agar-CaCO₃ gel, around plant roots in agar-CaCO₃ gel and within water-saturated soil. Oxygen partial pressures fell by 5–15 per cent of an atmosphere over distances of 0·2–0·4 cm whereas carbon dioxide partial pressures increased by less than 0·3 per cent of an atmosphere over the same distance. In other experiments different thicknesses of water-saturated soil were incubated with their upper surfaces exposed to air. The mean oxygen partial pressure fell by 7–13 per cent of an atmosphere with increasing the thickness from 0·2 to 0·4 cm whereas the carbon dioxide partial pressure never increased by more than 0·2 per cent of an atmosphere. Both sets of evidence confirm the theoretical prediction. It is concluded that the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the aqueous phase of soils containing no oxygen-free zones, would never, even at the surfaces of roots, be more than 1 per cent of atmosphere greater than in the gas phase.     

Interaction with soil enhances the toxic effect of iodide and iodate on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) compared to artificial culture media during initial growth stage

Iodine is an essential trace element for humans, and while plants play an important role in its supplementation, they can also be subject to iodine toxicity. Herein, comparison of iodide and iodate effects on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) development was evaluated in laboratory experiments when it was cultivated in iodine-spiked agar cultivation media and agricultural soil. Our results show that iodine toxicity is highly dependent on its chemical form and also reflects growth substrate type. Barley responses to iodine presence in agar and soil media suggest that iodide has more severe inhibitory effects than iodate on plant growth. Furthermore, the detrimental effect of iodine notably increased in soil with biomass synthesis as the most sensitive physiological parameter to adverse iodide and iodate effects. However, mild iodate and iodide stimulation of barley growth was observed which implies they are beneficial for growth at low concentrations. These effects were more intense when iodine was applied as iodide, especially in soil cultivation system where natural geochemical processes lead to alteration in iodine speciation which significantly increases plant sensitivity to iodine toxicity.     

Speciation of iodine in soils

In order to analyze the behavior and phytoxicity of iodine in soil, the chemical forms of soil iodine must be identified. Therefore, a method for quantitative speciation of iodine in soil was proposed. Iodine extracted from soil samples with tetrametBPyIammonium hydroxide (TMAH) was separated into humic and fnalvic acid fractions at pH4 1.5 after the addition of ascorbic acid into the TMAH extract to reduce iodate into iodide. Since the iodide in the TMAH extract was recovered in the fdvic acid fraction by this procedure, iodine contained in the haamic acid fraction was considered to be organically bound. Podine in the fulvic acid fraction was separated into organic iodine bound to fnlvic acids and the total inorganic iodine. Furthermore, iodine soluble from soil in 0.1 mol L^-1 potassium chloride was assumed to correspond to the amount of total iodide in soil, and from the difference in the concentration of total inorganic iodine and soluble iodide, the amount of iodate was calculated. By the application of this method, iodine in soil was separated into four fractions: organic iodine bound to humic acids, organic iodine bound to fulvic acids, iodate, and iodide. This speciation method was applied to two soils. It was found that s Barge proportion of iodine in soil occurred in an organicalPy bound form.     

STUDY OF THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN IODINE AND MINERAL NUTRIENTS IN LETTUCE PLANTS

Iodine is vital to human health, and iodine bio-fortification programs help improve the human intake through plant consumption. Essential processes in plants that can be altered by iodine bio-fortification include the nutritional state of plants. The main objective of this work was to determine whether mineral nutrient concentrations were affected by the application of different forms (iodide [I^?] vs. iodate [IO₃ ^?]) and dosages (0, 20, 40, and 80 μM) of iodine, to ascertain the influence of this trace element in Lactuca sativa var. longifolia plants. The application of 80 μM of I^? significantly reduced the nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) to below the optimal ranges established for this crop. The IO₃ ^? treatments represented optimal maintenance of the nutritional state for most of the nutrients and even an improvement of nutrients as important as magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe).     

THE MEASUREMENT AND MECHANISM OF ION DIFFUSION IN SOILS

The counter-diffusion of phosphate against chloride was measured in a moisture-saturated block of soil by following the efflux of phosphate into a limited volume of well-stirred CaCl₂ solution, of the same ionic composition as the soil-pore solution except for a lower initial phosphate concentration. By varying this phosphate concentration effective diffusion coefficients over a wide range of depletion were measured. The fraction of labile phosphate desorbed, and the relation between phosphate desorbed and concentration of phosphate in the equilibrium solution were measured in the same experiments. Effective diffusion coefficients varied from 0.43 to 1.50 × 10^-4cm² sec^-1, tending to decrease as depletion increased. Depletions ranged from about 0.3 to 25 per cent of the ³²P exchangeable phosphate, which corresponded to a lowering of the solution concentration by about 30 to 65 per cent of the initial concentrations. Diffusive movement of phosphate in this soil can be accounted for by diffusion through the liquid pathway only. The effective diffusion coefficient can be predicted from phosphate desorbed in response to a change in the concentration of the equilibrium solution, and an impedance factor.     

Evaluation of a Suitable Extractant and Determination of Critical Limit of Boron in Soil and Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) Plant by Various Extractants in Inceptisols of Varanasi

Pot culture experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of extractants and to determine the critical limit of boron (B) in soil and mustard plant in Inceptisols of Varanasi. Twenty-one bulk soil collected from different locations were used for growing mustard. Five extractants, namely hot water, hot 0.01molar (M) calcium chloride (CaCl₂), 0.01M CaCl₂ + 0.05 M mannitol, 1.0 M ammonium acetate (NH₄OAC) and 0.05 M hydrochloric acid (HCl), were assessed by correlating the amount of extractable B in untreated and B fertilizer-treated soil with Bray’s per cent yield, plant tissue B concentration and B uptake by mustard. Similarly, correlation coefficients of the B extracted by different extractants and soil properties were calculated. The suitability of B extracted by different extractants was in the order of hot 0.01M CaCl₂ (HCC-B) > hot water (HW-B) > 1.0 M NH₄OAC (AA-B) > 0.05M HCl (HA-B) > 0.01M CaCl₂ + 0.05M mannitol (CCM-B). The critical limits of extractable B in soil as determined by the graphical procedure were 0.54, 0.60, 0.36, 0.45 and 0.45 mg kg^?1 and the statistical procedures were 0.54, 0.60, 0.38, 0.46 and 0.48 mg kg^?1 with HW-B, HCC-B, CCM-B, AA-B and HA-B, respectively. Soil containing available B below the critical limit responded to B fertilization.     

CHARGE DISTRIBUTION AND THE CATION EXCHANGE CAPACITY OF AN IRON-RICH KAOLINITIC SOIL

The positive charge on an iron-rich kaolinitic soil was found to increase from 11.1 to 14.2 me per 100 g as a result of lowering the pH from 8.5 to 3.0 in M NH₄Cl solution and the negative charge decreased from 22.2 to 14.1. In 0.002M NH₄C1 the positive charge increased from 0 to 0.3 and the negative charge decreased from 5.6 to 3.2. The variations in charge can be explained by the presence of 3 me per 100 g of permanent negative charge, pH dependent positive and negative charge influenced by the indifferent electrolyte concentration, and the overlap of diffuse layers causing a neutralization of charge. The ability of this soil to hold cations under field conditions is overestimated by m ammonium acetate at pH 7. Instead, a solution approximating to the pH, composition, and concentration of the soil solution should be used.     

控释碘肥对生菜富碘及若干生理特性的影响

通过温室盆栽试验,以普通碘肥为对照,研究了包膜控释碘肥对生菜富碘及某些生理特性的影响。结果表明, 施碘处理与不施碘相比显著提高生菜叶片的碘含量。在两种施碘水平下（I 10和20 mg/kg,土）,与普通碘肥相比,控释碘酸钾和控释碘化钾均显著提高生菜叶片的碘含量,分别提高了46.60%~61.16%、 46.59%~58.53%; 同时提高了生菜生物量、 叶片叶绿素含量、 维生素C含量及抗氧化酶活性［超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、 过氧化物酶（POD）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）］,降低了生菜叶片硝态氮和丙二醛（MDA）含量; 碘酸根离子处理的土壤碘的淋失率高于碘离子处理; 施用控释碘酸钾和控释碘化钾后,土壤淋溶液中碘淋失量峰值出现时间延后,碘淋失率较普通碘肥分别降低了45.99%~50.97%、 39.18%~46.29%,差异显著。碘肥用量试验的结果表明,与施碘10 mg/kg相比,施碘20 mg/kg时显著提高了生菜叶片的碘含量,但对生菜品质及生理指标无显著影响。与普通碘肥相比,控释碘肥不仅显著提高了生菜叶片对碘的富集,还减少了碘素从土壤中的流失量,提高了碘肥的利用率。施用控释碘肥是培育富碘蔬菜的有效途径之一。     

PROPERTIES AND COMPOSITION OF THE BACTERIAL FLORA OF A PINE FOREST SOIL

A study was made of the qualitative and quantitative distribution of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria in the two mineral horizons of a developing podsol soil under Pinus. There was no significant difference in the total numbers or in the kinds of bacteria between the two horizons. In the acidic A₁ horizon (pH, 3.6) Bacillus spp. comprised 58 per cent of the population, the remainder being composed of Gram-negative rods (15 per cent), pleomorphic rods (14 per cent), Gram-positive cocci (10 per cent) and streptomycetes (3 per cent). The corresponding figures for the C horizon (pH, 8.6) were Bacillus (23 per cent), Gram-negative rods (37 per cent), pleomorphic rods (10 per cent), Gram-positive cocci (17 per cent) and streptomycetes (13 per cent). These differences in distribution could not be related to any one environmental factor. The data from this investigation lend support to the view that different soil types can be distinguished by their bacterial floras. Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus and the Gram-positive cocci were biochemically and fermentatively active and many of the streptomycetes were able to degrade complex organic molecules. The Gram-negative and pleomorphic forms were apparently metabolically inactive.     

Microbial Reduction of Iodate

The different oxidation species of iodine have markedly different sorption properties. Hence, changes in iodine redox states can greatly affect the mobility of iodine in the environment. Although a major microbial role has been suggested in the past to account for these redox changes, little has been done to elucidate the responsible microorganisms or the mechanisms involved. In the work presented here, direct microbial reduction of iodate was demonstrated with anaerobic cell suspensions of the sulfate reducing bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans which reduced 96% of an initial 100 µM iodate to iodide at pH 7 in 30 mM NaHCO₃ buffer, whereas anaerobic cell suspensions of the dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens were unable to reduce iodate in 30 mM NaHCO₃ buffer (pH 7). Both D. desulfuricans and S. putrefaciens were able to reduce iodate at pH 7 in 10 mM HEPES buffer. Both soluble ferrous iron and sulfide, as well as iron monosulfide (FeS) were shown to abiologically reduce iodate to iodide. These results indicate that ferric iron and/or sulfate reducing bacteria are capable of mediating both direct, enzymatic, as well as abiotic reduction of iodate in natural anaerobic environments. These microbially mediated reactions may be important factors in the fate and transport of¹²⁹ I in natural systems.     

Comparison of Iodide and Iodate Accumulation and Volatilization by Filamentous Fungi during Static Cultivation

Five common fungal strains, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Aspergillus clavatus, Penicillium citrinum, Fusarium oxysporum, and Alternaria alternata, were cultivated in presence of iodide and iodate to evaluate their efficiency in iodine biovolatilization and bioaccumulation. Our results suggest that iodide and iodate bioaccumulation by microscopic filamentous fungi is similar although the biological transformation into volatile iodine compounds is driven by various pathways resulting in higher volatilization efficiency of iodate. Thus, the mobilization of iodate by filamentous fungi is superior to iodide mobilization. Our paper is also the first to compare the iodide and iodate volatilization efficiency by microorganisms. Our results highlight the significant role of filamentous fungi in biogeochemistry of iodine, especially in formation of environmentally reactive volatile forms that may contribute to ozone layer destruction.     

MINERALOGY AND RADIOISOTOPE RETENTION PROPERTIES OF A CHRONOSEQUENCE OF SOILS DEVELOPED IN BASALTS OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

The mineralogical composition and retention properties for radioisotopes (²⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs) of soils developed in five basalt flows of age varying from 6000 years to about four million years occurring in western Victoria were investigated. The trend of mineral weathering has been almost exclusively to amorphous material, kaolinite-plus-halloysite, and chlorite, the more soluble products of weathering having been removed. The most significant changes in clay mineralogical composition with time are the progressive decrease in the Si0₂/Al₂O₃ molar ratio of the amorphous material in the clay fraction of the surface horizons, from an initial value of approximately 4 to values of approximately 2, and the progressive increase in the amount of kaolinite-plus-halloysite, both in the topsoil and at depth, with age of the basalt flow. The amount of kaolinite plus halloysite increases from approximately 20 per cent of the clay of soil developed in the basalt flow 6000 years old to approximately 50 per cent of that of soil in basalt about four million years old. Evidence for the presence of halloysite was obtained by electron microscopy studies. The amorphous material and chlorite contents, each of which constitutes between 20 and 50 per cent of the clay fractions, decrease concurrently with the increase in kaolinite-plushalloysite content. Fixation of Sr by whole soil samples was controlled by the organic matter and free iron oxide contents rather than by the mineralogy of the samples. A high proportion of the added Cs was sorbed by whole soil samples. Much of the sorbed Cs was not readily replaced by CaCl, washings but was replaced in part by subsequent washing with NaCl of pH 5.3 and almost entirely by subsequent NH₄Cl washings. Much of the Sr and Cs deposited on these soils by rainfall and dry fall-out would be sorbed; the ease of replacement suggests that these elements would be available for further movement through the food chain.     

小白菜和空心菜对不同形态碘的吸收

通过营养液培养试验研究了小白菜和空心菜对不同形态碘(I-、IO3-和CH2ICOO-)的吸收特征。研究结果表明,低水平的外源碘能促进小白菜和空心菜的生长;在0～1.0.mg/L(以I计算)的碘水平范围内,小白菜和空心菜对碘的吸收量随外源碘水平的提高而增加;对不同形态碘吸收量大小顺序为:CH2ICOO-I-IO3-。小白菜和空心菜根部和地上部分中碘的含量之间呈显著相关性,其中小白菜根部和地上部分中碘的含量比约为2∶1;空心菜根部和地上部分碘的含量比约为1∶1,反映了不同蔬菜对碘吸收的差异性。     

Evaluation of Chemical Extraction Methods for Determining Plant-Available Potassium in Some Soils of West Bengal,India

The effectiveness of eight chemical extraction methods was evaluated on 15 Indian soils for the prediction of plant-available potassium (K⁺) to Sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare var. sudanensis) grown in modified Neubauer technique. Average amounts of soil K⁺ extracted were in descending order: Morgan’s reagent > 0.5 M sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) > neutral 1N ammonium acetate (NH₄OAc) > 1N nitric acid (HNO₃) > 0.02 M calcium chloride (CaCl₂) > 0.1N HNO₃ > Bray and Kurtz No.1> distilled water. The highest simple correlation with plant K⁺ uptake was obtained with NH₄OAc-K⁺ (r = 0.866**) and the lowest with CaCl₂-K⁺ (r = 0.45*). To develop the predictive models using stepwise regression, plant K⁺ uptake was used as the dependent variable and the extractable soil K⁺, pH, sand, silt and organic carbon (C) contents as the independent variables. Based on the final R², the NH₄OAc model was found to be the best predictor of plant-available K⁺ in the soils when used along with sand and organic C.     

THE ORIGIN OF THE PENTOSE FRACTION OF SOIL POLYSACCHARIDE

Incubation of soil with monosaccharide for 224 days resulted in the evolution of about 80 per cent of the substrate carbon as CO₂ and the transformation of 3 per cent to soil sugars whether the substrate was ¹⁴C-glucose or xylose and whether the soil was pH 7.4 or pH 5.0. There was no detectable change in the total amounts of individual sugars in the soil during incubation. ¹⁴C-glucose and xylose gave the same distribution of radioactivity among the soil sugars : hexoses and 6-deoxy-hexoses were initially well labelled, with glucose having twice the specific activity of the other sugars. As the incubation progressed some activity appeared in the pentoses (the activity in xylose became very low within the first 14 days of the ¹⁴C-xylose incubation) and that in the hexoses slowly declined, with glucose no longer predominant. Nevertheless after 448 days the hexoses were still 3–4 times more radioactive than the pentoses. The activity in rhamnose did not decline with time so that eventually it became the most strongly labelled sugar. Incubation of soil with glucose and ¹⁴C-acetate showed very little transformation of the acetate to sugars indicating that glucose is not metabolized to C₂ compounds before it is transformed to other sugars. Ammo-acids in soil incubated for 7 days with ¹⁴C-glucose had much lower levels of radioactivity than hexoses or 6-deoxy-hexoses. It is concluded that if soil pentose originates by microbial synthesis it must accumulate slowly by a long process of selective decomposition of a mixture of polysaccharides.     

Nitrogen compounds extracted by electroultrafiltration (EUF) or CaCl2 solution and their relationships to nitrogen mineralization in soils

The objective of the investigation was to identify the most important organic N-containing fractions extracted from soils by electroultrafiltration (EUF) or a CaCl₂ solution, respectively, and their importance for nitrogen mineralization. The investigation comprised 19 agricultural and one forest top soil. Net N mineralization was tested in Mitscherlich pot experiments with three treatments: (1) fallow soil without N fertilizer, (2) soil cultivated with rye grass without N fertilizer, (3) soil cultivated with rye grass with N fertilizer. The highest proportion of N in the extracts was the amino N fraction (amino acids + peptides) amounting to approximately 60% of the total N extracted by CaCl₂ and to about 40% of the total N extracted by EUF. The proportion of amino sugars from total N extracted was in average 10% for the CaCl₂ and 5.2% for the EUF extracts. The proportion of heterocyclic N bases derived from nucleic acids amounted in average to 4.8% and 3.6% for the CaCl₂ and EUF extract, respectively. Amino N (amino acids + peptides) were correlated best with net N mineralization (EUF, r = 0.81***, CaCl₂, r = 0.86***). The correlation between amino sugars and net N mineralization was r = 0.55* for the EUF extract and r = 0.49* for the CaCl₂ extract. The heterocyclic N bases did not correlate with net N mineralization. Correlations between Norg extracted by CaCl₂ versus net N mineralization were higher than those obtained by the EUF extract. Net N mineralization was about four times higher in the fallow soils than in the treatment with grass and no N fertilizer. In the treatment with grass + N fertilizer on average no net N mineralization occurred, moreover there was a tendency of N immobilization. It is assumend that in the treatments with grass cultivation, organic C released by roots stimulated the assimilation of mineral N and amino acids by soil microorganisms resulting in a low net N mineralization. Net N mineralization led to a highly significant depletion in the Norg pools and particularly in the amino N and amino sugar pools in the treatment with grass and without N fertilizer. This depletion was particularly evident in the CaCl₂ extracts. The results justify the conclusion that the Norg obtained with both extraction methods originates from a dynamic N pool into which N flows in and out. The amino N extractable with EUF or CaCl₂ is a reliable indicator for the net N mineralization potential of soils.     

SOME EFFECTS OF FERTILIZERS AND FARMYARD MANURE ON THE ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS IN SOILS

The amounts of P applied cumulatively to a neutral arable soil (pH 7.1–7. in 0.01M CaCl₂) at Rothamsted, as farmyard manure, alone or with superphosphate, which were converted to organic P in 100 years ranged from 18 to 44 μg P/g of soil (0–23 cm). Superphosphate alone (3300 kg P/ha) slightly lessened the total organic P in the soil. Neither farmyard manure nor super-phosphate significantly changed the amounts (38 to 42 μg P/g) of inositol penta- and hexaphosphate in these soils. In the surface layers (0–7.5 cm) of soils from permanent grassland at Rothamsted, superphosphate (3370kg P/ha) increased organic P by 134 μg P/g at pH 4.5 and 19 μg P/g at pH 6.5, about 6 and 1 per cent respectively of the P remaining from superphosphate applied cumulatively since 1858. In the sub-surface layers (7.5–23 cm) superphosphate increased organic P by 93 μg P/g at pH 4.5 and 62 μg P/g at pH 6.2, about 18 and 10 per cent respectively of the P remaining from superphosphate. The sum of inositol penta- and hexaphosphates accounted for 32 per cent at pH 4.5 and 21 per cent at pH 6.5 of the increases in organic P in the surface layers and 45 per cent and 26 per cent in the sub-surface layers at pH 4.5 and 6.5 respectively. Superphosphate (1260–2100 kg P/ha) applied intermittently or cumulatively increased total organic P by 19 to 52 μg P/g and inositol penta- and hexaphosphates by 13 to 17 μg P/g in acid tea soils (pH 3.2–3.4) from Georgia, U.S.S.R. Rock phosphate (510–1020kg P/ha) applied cumulatively had no effect on either the total organic P or the inositol P in acid tea soils (PH 3.6–3.7) from Ceylon.