Phosphate sorption by natural hematites

Iron (hydr)oxides are active phosphate sorbents in soils and sediments, but no information exists on phosphate (P) sorption by natural hematites. In this study, we characterized the chemical, mineralogical and P-sorption properties of 14 hematite-rich natural materials of different origins. Phosphate sorption was described by a modified Freundlich equation including a time term. Phosphate sorbed at 1d at an equilibrium concentration of 1 mg P dm^?3 ranged widely (0.2–1.7 μmol m^?2). After 1 d, hematites showed a marked slow sorption. At 75 d, and an equilibrium concentration of 6mg P dm^?3, the total amount of P sorbed ranged between 0.8 and 4.1 μmol mp^?2. Phosphate-sorption capacity was influenced by the morphology of the coherently scattering domains: the shorter the domains in the crystallographic c relative to the a direction, the lower the P-sorption capacity. This has been observed by other authors in synthetic hematites and agrees with the idea that the prismatic faces, which have singly co-ordinated Fe-OH groups, are more active in P-sorption than other faces. The average P sorption capacity of hematites was similar to that of natural goethites (2.6 μmol P m^?2) but, in contrast to these, variability among samples was high. In comparison with goethites, hematites show slower sorption and lower affinity for phosphate.     

EFFECTS OF SOLUTION: SOIL RATIO ON PHOSPHATE SORPTION BY SOILS

Isotherms for the sorption of inorganic phosphate (P) by three contrasting soils during 40 h showed a dependence on solution: soil ratio. Above a final solution P concentration of 0.5 μg ml^?1, more P was sorbed at a solution: soil ratio of 5:1 than at 40:1 for a given level of P in solution. With time up to 146 h, the effect of solution: soil ratio on P sorption was kinetically controlled. Equilibrium solution P concentrations, estimated by extrapolation of the linear relationships between solution P concentration and the reciprocal of time to I/t= o (i.e. t=∞)appeared to be coincident for each solution:soil ratio at high and the low levels of added P. Consequently, sorption isotherms at equilibrium would be coincident, irrespective of the solution soil ratio used. The kinetic control of solution: soil ratio on P sorption is interpreted in terms of the number of P sorbing sites and initial solution P concentration on the rate of P sorption by soils.     

Sorption behavior of selenium and antimony in soils as a function of phosphate ion concentration

Abstract

Both selenium (Se) and antimony (Sb) are major soil and water pollutants. Their sorption behavior in a soil–plant system was studied. Soil–soil solution distribution coefficients (K _ds) for Se and Sb were measured, using a radiotracer, as an indicator of their sorption levels. Both Se and Sb behave as oxoanions (SeO^2? ₄, H₂PO^? ₄ and SO^2? ₄) in soil; thus, the effects of concentrations of two major oxoanions (SeO^2? ₄ and SeO^2? ₃) on Se and Sb sorption were also examined. The K _d values for Se for Japanese soils significantly correlated with the K _d values for Sb (n = 141). The K _ds of both Se and Sb similarly decreased with increasing SbO^? ₃ concentration. These results indicated that the sorption of Se and Sb was similarly controlled by a ligand-exchange mechanism such as phosphate sorption in soil. However, an increase in the concentration of SeO^2? ₃ did not decrease the K _ds of Se and Sb. Furthermore, the ligand-exchangeable fractions of stable Se and Sb in major Japanese soils were determined by extraction with 0.1 mol L^?1 Na₂HPO₄ solution. For both Se and Sb, the phosphate-extractable fractions were 10-fold higher for Se and fivefold higher for Sb than their water-soluble fractions. Although the total Se and Sb amounts in soils were the same, their ligand-exchangeable fractions were different. Approximately 0.9–12% of total Se and 0.2–1.3% of total Sb were extracted by the phosphate solution. These findings suggested that Se was more likely to be mobilized by the addition of phosphate than Sb. The effect of plant-available phosphate in the soil and the phosphate sorption capacity of soil on Se and Sb availabilities for plants were also examined using a pot experiment with soybean plants. The experimental results suggested that a high content of available phosphate and/or low phosphate sorption capacity of soil increased both Se and Sb availabilities to the plant. However, the results also suggested that the soil Se availability to the plant was higher than that of Sb even though the soil total Se and Sb amounts were the same.     

Estimation of microbial biomass and activity in soil using microcalorimetry

Relationships between the rate of heat output from soil, the rate of respiration and the soil microbial biomass were investigated for 25 soils from northern Britain. The rate of heat output, measured in a Calvet microcalorimeter at 22°C, correlated well with the rate of carbon dioxide respiration. The average amount of heat evolved per cm³ of gas respired. 21.1 J cm^?3, suggests that the biomass metabolism was largely aerobic. The rate of heat output per unit of total microbial biomass was remarkably uniform over a wide range of soils, but showed differences depending upon whether the soil had been stored or amended. Mineral soils that had been stored at 4°C had the lowest heat output, 12.0 mW g^?1 biomass C, compared with a mean of 20.4 mW g^?1 biomass C for freshly-collected soils. Amendment with glucose (0.5% w/w) caused an immediate increase in respiration and heat output, up to 59.4 mW g^?1 biomass C for stored soils and 188.2 mW g^?1 biomass C for freshly collected soils. There was a consistent relationship between the biomass and the rate of heat output from freshly collected and amended mineral and organic soils which gave a linear fit using log transformed data: y= 0.6970+ 1.025x (r= 0.98, P < 0.001) (y=log₁₀ biomass C, μgC g^?1; x=log₁₀ rate of heat output at 22°C, μW g^?1). The overall relationship between biomass and the rate of heat output for all the amended samples was: 1 g biomass C= 180.05 ± 34.61 mW.     

Predicting potassium fertilizer requirement using exchange isotherm approach in relation to soil characteristics

Determining potassium (K) fertilizer requirement using sorption isotherms is considered more accurate than conventional soil K tests. A total of 59 surface soil samples were used to establish K exchange isotherm. To evaluate K requirement sorption test, a glasshouse experiment using perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne, cv. Roper) was carried out on 10 soil samples. The experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design with four replications and four K levels (K₀, K₂₀, K₄₀, K₈₀). Concentrations of K in solution established by adding K in the pots estimated from the sorption curve ranged from 20 to 80 mg K l^?1 including check treatment (no K). Dry matter yield of ryegrass in most soils approached maximum as adjusted K levels were increased to 20 mg K l^?1. The amounts of K required to bring the soils to 20 mg l^?1 in soil solution varied among soils and ranged from 99 to 399 mg kg^?1, on average 205 mg kg^?1 soil. It was found that a useful regression model for the prediction of standard K requirement (K₂₀) included the combination of plant available K extracted by NH₄OAc (Av-K) and clay content: K₂₀ = ?41 ? 0.63 Av-K + 9.0 Clay (R² = 0.61, p < 0.001, n = 59).     

EFFECTS OF IONIC STRENGTH ON CHEMISORPTION AND POTENTIAL-DETERMINING SORPTION OF PHOSPHATE BY SOILS

Amounts of inorganic phosphate (P) sorbed by two unfertilized soils, during times less than required to reach equilibrium, were affected by the ionic strength and cation species of the matrix solution. For non-equilibrium conditions the amounts of P sorbed increased with increasing ionic strength and were greater with Ca²⁺ than Na⁺. For higher P additions, resulting in equilibrium solution P concentrations greater than 30 to 40μrnole 1^?1, the effects of the matrix solution on P sorption were maintained at equilibrium, whereas at lower P additions the dependence of sorption on matrix solution composition was eliminated at equilibrium. Equilibrium sorption isotherms for each soil and matrix solution were described by three Langmuir equations, which corresponded to distinct concentration ranges or regions (I, II, and III) on the overall isotherm. The free energies of sorption (ΔG) for each region, were essentially independent of the soil matrix solution. The sorption maxima for regions I and II of the isotherm for a particular soil were also virtually independent of the matrix solution used. The sorption maximum for region III, however, was markedly dependent on the matrix solution, implying a potential-determining (p.d.) sorption mechanism.     

Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations: I. Effect of time,cadmium load,pH, and calcium

Sorption of Cd at low concentrations onto two Danish soils (loamy sand, sandy loam) was examined in terms of kinetics and governing factors. From an environmental point of view soil sorption of Cd is a fast process: More than 95% of the sorption takes place within 10 min, equilibrium is reached in 1 hr, and exposures up to 67 wk did not reveal any long term changes in Cd sorption capacities. The soils have very high affinity for Cd at pH = 6.00 (10^?3 M CaCl₂) exhibiting distribution coefficients in the order of 200 to 250 (soil Cd concentration/solute Cd concentration). However, the sorption isotherms describing the distribution of Cd between soil and solute are slightly curvelinear. In the pH-interval 4 to 7.7, the sorption capacity of the soil approximately increases 3 times for a pH increase of one unit. Increasing the Ca concentration from 10^?3 to 10^?2 M reduces the sorption capacity of the sandy loam to one third.     

Irrigation with brackish water modifies the boron requirement of mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) on typic calciargid

The boron (B) sufficiency range for plant growth is narrow and its management is problematic under brackish irrigation water. This study was conducted to evaluate the B requirement of mungbean at different sodium adsorption ratios of irrigation waters (SAR_iw) [control, 8 and 16 (mmol_c L^?1)^1/2]. The boron adsorption characteristics of a loamy soil were first determined in the laboratory by equilibrating 2.5 g soil with 0.01 M CaCl₂ solution containing different B levels. Boron rates for a pot study were computed against different soil solution levels by fitting sorption data in a modified Freundlich model [x/m = K _f (EBC)^1/n ]. The maximum increase in shoot dry matter was 11.9% when B was applied at 1.29 mg kg^?1 soil at control SAR_iw. Visual leaf B toxicity symptoms appeared at higher B rates and became severe at higher SAR_iw. By contrast to Ca, shoot concentrations of B and Na increased significantly with B application and SAR_iw. For optimum shoot growth, internal and external B requirements were 25 mg B kg^?1 shoot dry matter and 0.39 mg B L^?1 soil solution, respectively, at control SAR_iw. At higher SAR_iw, a lower concentration of B in plant shoots and soil solution had an inhibitory effect on plant growth.     

Equilibria of weak acids and organic Al complexes explain activity of H+ and Al3+ in a salt extract of exchangeable cations

Two sequential extractions with unbuffered 0.1 m BaCl₂ were done to study the release of salt-exchangeable H⁺ and Al from mineral horizons of five Podzols and a Cambisol. Released Al was found to have a charge close to 3+ in all horizons and in both extractions. This finding was supported by the near-equality of the titrated exchangeable acidity (EA_T) and the sum of exchangeable acids (EA = H_e + 3Al_e, calculated from the pH and Al concentration of the extract). The ratio between EA of the second and the first extraction was over 0.50 in the Bs2 and C horizons and smaller in the other horizons. H⁺ was assumed to be in equilibrium with weak acid groups, and the modified Henderson–Hasselbach equation, pK_HH = pH ? n log (α/(1 ? α)), was used to explain pH of the extract. The degree of dissociation (α) was calculated as the ratio between effective and potential cation exchange capacity. Value of the empirical constant n was found to be near unity in most horizons. When the monoprotic acid dissociation was assumed in all horizons, pK_HH had the same value in both extractions. For Al³⁺, two equilibrium models were evaluated, describing (i) complexation reactions of Al³⁺ with soil organic matter, and (ii) equilibrium with Al(OH)₃. Apparent equilibrium constants were written as (i) pK_o = xpH ? pAl³⁺, and (ii) log Q_gibbs= log Al³⁺ ? 3log H^+. The two extractions gave an average reaction stoichiometry x close to 2 in all horizons. Results suggest that an equilibrium with organic Al complexes can be used to express dissolved Al³⁺, aluminium being apparently bound to bidentate sites. The value of log Q_gibbs was below the solubility of gibbsite (log K_gibbs = 8.04) in many horizons. In addition, log Q_gibbs of the second extraction was greater than that of the first extraction in all horizons except the C horizon. This indicates that equilibrium with Al(OH)₃ cannot explain dissolved Al³⁺ in the soils. We propose that the models of pK_HH and pK_o can be used to simulate exchangeable H⁺ and Al³⁺ in soil acidification models.     

Phosphorus Management of Lucerne Grown on Calcareous Soil in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Lucerne or alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is grown as a forage crop on many livestock farms. In calcareous soils in eastern Turkey, lucerne production requires phosphorus (P) additions as the soils are naturally P deficient. Phosphorus sorption isotherms were used to estimate P fertilizer needs for lucerne grown for two years in a 3-cut system on a calcareous P deficient Aridisol in eastern Anatolia, Erzurum province, Turkey. Annual P applications ranged from 0–1200 kg P ha^?1. The Langmuir two-surface adsorption equation was used to derive the maximum P sorption capacity of unamended soil and to determine soil solution P, maximum buffer capacity (MBC), equilibrium buffer capacity (EBC), and P saturation at the optimum economic P rate (OEPR) for dry matter (DM) production. Soils were tested for Olson P at the onset of the study and after two years of P applications. In both years, tissue was analyzed for P content at flowering prior to first cutting. The OEPR (2-year average) was 754 kg P ha^?1 yr^?1 corresponding with a soil solution P concentration of 0.30 mg L^?1, a DM yield of 8725 kg DM ha^?1, and $528 ha^?1 annual profit. The P content of leaves at flowering increased linearly with P application beyond 100 kg P ha^?1 and was 3.2 g kg^?1 P at the OEPR. The unfertilized soil had an EBC, MBC, P saturation, and X_max of 3304 mL g^?1, 3401 mL g^?1, 6%, and 1086 mL g^?1, respectively, whereas two years of fertilization to the OEPR decreased EBC and MBC to 358 mL g^?1 and 540 mL g^?1, and increased P saturation and Olsen P to 56% and 32 mg kg^?1, respectively. These results suggest a P saturation >50% or Olsen P >30 mg kg^?1 are needed to maintain an optimum soil solution concentration of 0.30 mg L^?1 in this calcareous Aridisol. Similar studies with different soils and initial soil test P levels are needed to conclude if these critical soil test values can be applied across the region.     

RATIONALIZATION OF IONIC STRENGTH AND CATION EFFECTS ON PHOSPHATE SORPTION BY SOILS

The amounts of inorganic phosphate (P) sorbed by four contrasting unfertilized soils during 40 h were influenced by the ionic strength and cation species of the contacting solution (support medium) used, as indicated by isotherms over the final P concentration range of 0 to 1 μg P/ml and 0 to 10 μg P/ml. An increase in ionic strength enhanced P sorption during 40 h but the species of cation also influenced the amount of P sorbed, as shown by the isotherms obtained in 10^?2M Ca and 3 × 10^?2M Na systems. Although pH affected the amounts of P sorbed, pH effects alone could not adequately explain the differences in P sorption. Kinetic studies indicated that within the range of P addition used for each soil, the equilibrium P concentration, at infinite time, was independent of ionic strength and cation species. Consequently, the composition of the solution affected only the rate at which equilibrium was attained. The results are attributed to the effects of ionic strength on the surface charge of retaining components and the thickness of the diffuse double layer, and the effects of specilic sorption of a divalent cation on surface charge, as they relate to the rate of P sorption.     

磷-铅-柠檬酸在红壤胶体上相互作用机理初探

以红壤胶体为对象,通过等温平衡试验,研究了柠檬酸对红壤胶体吸附磷的影响,以及吸附磷和柠檬酸后弃去上清液(次级吸附)和保留上清液(共吸附)两种方式对红壤胶体固定铅的影响。结果表明,柠檬酸对红壤胶体磷吸附产生抑制作用,且随着柠檬酸浓度增加而抑制作用增强;用Langmuir方程拟合时,红壤胶体对磷的吸附反应常数K、最大吸附量X m均随柠檬酸初始浓度增加而降低。吸附磷和柠檬酸后,两种处理方式对铅的固定量影响有明显差异,总体上,次级吸附试验中铅的固定量低于共吸附;且两种方式中铅的固定量均随磷初始浓度及磷吸附量的增加而增加,随柠檬酸浓度升高而降低。共吸附中铅固定量在柠檬酸初始浓度为0.1 mmol L-1和磷初始浓度小于0.4 mmol L-1时达到较高值,说明在此浓度下磷和柠檬酸的共同存在促进了红壤胶体对铅的固定。     

The role of organic acids in the soil solution chemistry of a podzolized soil

The soil solution chemistry of a podzolized soil in the north of Sweden was monitored for four years using percolation lysimeters. Weak organic acids were a major constituent of the soil solution and are important because of their ability to form complexes with aluminium. Dissolved organics leached from the mor layer enhance the weathering rate in the eluvial horizon by forming complexes with aluminium, especially during the autumn when the leaching of dissolved organics was greatest. The weak organic acids were titrated and their pK_a values were evaluated. Aluminium was speciated with an ion-exchange method and by applying equilibrium calculations. Formation constants for the organic aluminium complexes were calculated to be log K_Along=5.42±0.32 m ^?1 (n=13) in spring and summer and log K_Alorg=4.87±0.14 m ^?1 (n=6) in autumn. Equilibria of Al³⁺ with solid phases were also examined using solubility constants. Percolation lysimeters below undisturbed and cut-off mor layers were compared.     

Effects of solution calcium concentration and calcium sink size on the dissolution of Gafsa phosphate rock in soils

The dissolution of a reactive phosphate rock (Gafsa, GPR) was evaluated in a range of UK soils which varied considerably in calcium (Ca) status and in a soil that had been amended with different amounts of a cation exchange resin (CER) to provide a Ca sink of varying size. As expected, but not apparently previously reported, increasing solution Ca concentration caused a decrease in the dissolution of GPR, consistent with the solubility product principle. At 40 d, the extent of GPR dissolution was correlated more closely with soil solution Ca concentration (r=?0.91) than with either the number of unoccupied exchange sites for Ca or the Ca-exchange capacity (CaEC) of the soil (r=0.61 and r=?0.35, respectively). Unoccupied exchange sites for Ca were only effective in influencing GPR dissolution when solution Ca concentration was sufficiently low (< 1 mmol dm^?3) for the sites to be operating on the well-buffered portion of the Ca-exchange isotherm. The combined effects of an initial low solution Ca concentration and the presence of unoccupied Ca exchange sites caused the relationship between GPR dissolution and solution Ca concentration to become curvilinear, whereby the proportion of GPR dissolved at 40 d could be related to the initial soil solution Ca concentration by an exponential equation. A similar interaction was obtained for the relationship between GPR dissolution and CaEC (operating at solution Ca concentrations ≥0.6 mmol dm^?3) following the addition of CER to the soil. The effectiveness of the additional sites for Ca in maintaining the product of ionic concentrations below the solubility product of GPR was such that the amount of GPR dissolved at 40 d correlated linearly and strongly (r= 1.00) with the CaEC of the soil-CER mixtures.     

Empirical modelling of the kinetics of phosphate sorption to macropore materials in aggregated subsoils

Preferential transport of phosphate through macropores increases the significance of phosphate sorption to macropore wall materials compared with bulk soil materials. Therefore we studied the kinetics of phosphate sorption to soil bulk materials from the Ap and Btg horizons, from the iron oxide-poor (Albic) centres and from iron oxide-rich (Red) exteriors of the fractures in a clayey pseudogley in batch at initial phosphate concentrations (P₀) up to a maximum of 650 μm and at sampling times up to 7 days. Uptake of phosphate was least in the phosphate-rich Ap, and the Albic material also adsorbed little. By contrast the Red material sorbed phosphate strongly. By plotting the logarithm of the solution phosphate concentration against log time, two or three different kinetic regions could be distinguished: a fast reaction within the first minute of reaction; a lag period at intermediate to large initial values of phosphate concentration (P₀); and a steady slow reaction. The lag phase cannot be described satisfactorily by the well-known adsorption models. The Langmuir equilibrium expression produced rather good fits at any fixed time of reaction, but the estimated adsorption maximum increased steadily with time. Empirical models were fitted to the data, among them a ‘lag-linear’ model developed to include the lag phase. The relative contribution of the fast reaction to total adsorption during 7 days decreased from 50 to 80% at small P₀ to less than 10% at large P₀ values. The fraction of fast-adsorbed phosphate followed the order Red > Btg > Albic > Ap regardless of P₀; the slow reaction is, by a log–log rate, ranked Albic ? Btg > Red > Ap for P₀ < 20 μm and Red > Btg > Albic > Ap at larger initial concentrations. The Albic material does not minimize the risk of phosphate leaching through macropores, as demonstrated by its small P sorption capacity, the relatively slow adsorption rate and its small actual P content.     

Liming and Copper Fertilization in Dry Bean Production on an Oxisol in No-tillage System

ABSTRACT

A field study was conducted with the objective of determining response of dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to liming and copper (Cu) fertilization applied to an Oxisol. The lime rates used were 0, 12, and 24 Mg ha^?1 and Cu rates were 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 kg Cu ha^?1. Liming significantly increased common bean grain yield. Liming also significantly influenced soil chemical properties in the top (0–10 cm) as well as in the sub (10–20 cm) soil layer in favor of higher bean yield. Application of Cu did not influence yield of bean significantly. Average soil chemical properties across two soil layers (0–10 and 10–20 cm) for maximum bean yield were pH 6.4, calcium (Ca), 4.2 cmol_c kg^?1, magnesium (Mg) 1.0 cmol_c kg^?1, H+Al 3.2 cmol_c kg^?1, acidity saturation 40.4%, cation exchange capacity (CEC) 8.9 cmol_c kg^?1, base saturation 63.1%, Ca saturation 45.7%, Mg saturation 18.0%, and Potassium (K) saturation 2.9.     

Equations to describe the amount and rate of sorption

The partition of materials that react with soil between the solid and the solution phase, and how this changes with time, can often be described by a simple equation: S = a c^b1t^b2 where S is the amount sorbed, c is the solution concentration, t the time of contact, and a, b₁ and b₂ are parameters. However, when the range of values for sorption is large, it is apparent that both b₁ and b₂ increase with decreasing sorption. At low values for sorption, b₁ approaches 1, and sorption plots are nearly linear. These observations are consistent with a mechanistic model in which it is postulated that the materials react with heterogenous sites. As the amount of sorption decreases, the heterogeneity of the occupied sites decreases. This is why b₁ increases. Because there is heterogeneity of occupied sites, there is a range of rates for the subsequent reaction. This is why the rates are proportional to a fractional index of time. It is better to describe the effects of time this way than by using several first-order equations.     

Parameterization and regionalization of Cd sorption characteristics of sandy soils. I. Freundlich type parameters

Cd sorption isotherms (n = 24) were established for arable, sandy soils of the ‘Fuhrberger Feld’ catchment area northeast of Hannover (Germany) using 0.01 M_c Ca(NO₃)₂ solution with Cd additions ranging from 0 to 44 μM_c Cd. Alternative fractions of initially (prior to analysis) sorbed Cd (S₀) were added to the amount sorbed during the experiments. The Freundlich equation was fitted to the resulting isotherms. The obtained retention parameters k and M varied with respect to the different S₀ fractions. Isotherms corrected with Cd_EDTA as S₀ fraction were nonlinear in their log-form. The highest degree of log-linearity is obtained if S₀ is characterized by 40% of the agua regia extractable Cd. The corresponding k values ranged from 36 to 1275 g^1-M L^M kg^?1 (mean 338 g^1-M L^M kg^?1, cv = 92%). The Freundlich exponent M showed less variation (0.7 to 1.1, cv = 12%) with a mean of 0.88. Functions based on these parameters predicted Cd concentrations in Ca(NO₃)₂?soil suspensions well (r² = 0.96) but were hardly related to Cd concentrations of ‘fresh’ soil solutions (r² = 0.20).     

The effect of previous P additions on sorption indices of calcareous soils determined with commonly employed methods

The effect of previous P additions on commonly used sorption parameters was studied using four alkaline-calcareous soils of Greece, two Vertisols and two Entisols. Solution concentration and buffering capacity indices were significantly affected while sorption curves of the quantity of P removed from the solution (x/m) against final P solution concentration (c) were shifted to the right, towards the higher c concentration values. Different buffering indices (e.g. the slope of the Freundlich equation, the slope of the semi-logarithmic sorption curve of x/m against log c, the slope of the linear portion of the high c concentration range) showed an increasing trend with increasing previous P additions to the soils, with the exception of the slope of the tangent of the Freundlich equation at c = 1 μg P/ml. However, correction for the quantity of exchangeable P already present in the soil (q), resulted in an increasing trend for this parameter as well, while obviously it did not have any effect on the slopes of the linear portions of the sorption curves. Chemical changes, as for example the slow formation of insoluble Ca–P salts, could possibly explain the increased capacity of previously fertilized alkaline-calcareous soils to remove P from the experimental equilibration solution suggested by the increasing trend in the buffering indices of the present work. At any case, this effect should be taken into account, especially in studies where sorption parameters are related to various soil-plant characteristics with respect to P.     

Mechanisms of production of soil protease by proteolytic Bacillus subtilis in wetland rice soil

In sterile soil inoculated with proteolytic Bacillus subtilis, the correlation between variations in protease activity and cell numbers was investigated during incubation, and the results were compared with those obtained in different growth media. In sterile soil inoculated with B. subtilis, the extracted soil z-FLase activity (hydrolytic activity towards benzyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-leucine extracted with 0.1 M phosphate buffer) was correlated with the extracted soil protein content (r=0.95; P<0.01) and the number of vegetative cells (r=0.88, P<0.05), while the extracted soil caseinase activity was well correlated with the number of spores (r=0.82, P<0.05) and not with the number of vegetative cells. Extracellular z-FLase activity in different growth media, inoculated with the proteolytic B. subtilis, was correlated with the extracellular protein concentration (r=0.73, P<0.01) and the number of cells (r=0.73, P<0.01), but extracellular caseinase activity was not correlated with either of these measurements. From these results, we concluded that soil z-FLase production might relate to vegetative growth of the proteolytic B. subtilis and soil caseinase might relate to B. subtilis sporulation.