糖醇和氨基酸对小白菜钙营养及生长、 品质的影响

【目的】小分子有机物在农业上的应用研究大多针对其促进作物生长、 改善品质等的营养效果,较少研究其对养分有效性及吸收利用的影响,对中微量元素吸收利用影响的研究更少。本研究选用糖醇和氨基酸为研究对象,研究了小分子有机物质对小白菜生长、 品质和养分吸收以及对钙有效性的影响。【方法】以小白菜为供试作物进行盆栽试验。试验以喷清水为对照,设置氨基酸(甘氨酸、 谷氨酸), 糖醇(甘露醇和木糖醇)和硝酸钙单独喷施,氨基酸(甘氨酸、 谷氨酸)和糖醇(甘露醇和木糖醇)分别与硝酸钙配合喷施,共计10个处理,每个处理6次重复,随机区组排列。试验中氨基酸喷施浓度为250 mg/L,糖醇喷施浓度为150 mg/L,硝酸钙喷施浓度为Ca2+ 130 mg/L。收获后测定植株生物量和维生素C、 可溶性糖、 硝酸盐和可溶性蛋白的含量,分析植株矿质元素氮、 磷、 钾和钙的吸收量。【结果】 1)叶面喷施糖醇和氨基酸明显促进了小白菜生长和养分吸收,并改善了其品质。与喷施清水(CK)相比,喷施糖醇和氨基酸可使小白菜生物量平均增加9.17%,维生素C、 可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量分别平均增加20.96%、 50.78%和30.66%,硝酸盐含量平均降低31.07%,氮、 磷、 钾吸收量分别平均增加12.43%、 15.24%和42.16%,钙吸收量增加显著,平均增加25.65%; 2)糖醇和氨基酸分别与硝酸钙混合施用可有效促进钙的吸收,提高硝酸钙在小白菜上的应用效果。与单独喷施硝酸钙相比,糖醇和氨基酸与硝酸钙混合喷施可使小白菜生物量平均增加17.44%,小白菜维生素C、 可溶性糖和可溶性蛋白含量分别平均增加14.23%、 45.27%、 33.43%,对氮、 磷、 钾养分吸收量分别平均提高38.25%、 16.13%、 25.11%,对钙养分的吸收量平均增加27.75%;与单独喷施小分子有机物(氨基酸和糖醇)相比,糖醇和氨基酸与硝酸钙混合喷施使小白菜生物量平均增加12.04%,对钙养分的吸收量平均增加17.60%。【结论】叶面喷施糖醇和氨基酸能有效增加小白菜生物量、 改善其品质并促进其对养分的吸收,糖醇和氨基酸分别与硝酸钙混合施用可有效促进钙的吸收,提高硝酸钙在小白菜上的应用效果。因此,小分子有机物糖醇和氨基酸可用作钙肥的有效助剂,用以促进作物对钙的吸收利用,提高钙养分的有效性和钙肥的应用效果。     

Effects of Natural Chelating Agents on the Solubility of Some Physiologically Important Mineral Elements in Oat Bran and Oat Flakes

The solubility of mineral elements from oat bran and flake samples was studied by a method using equilibrium dialysis after enzymatic digestion of starch and proteins. The effects of six potential chelating agents common in food were tested on the solubility of mineral elements. The minerals studied were calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc and potassium, and the chelating agents were citric, lactic, malic, and ascorbic acids, glucose and xylitol. The mineral elements were tightly bound to the dietary fiber of the samples. Bran fiber bound even the zinc and calcium contributed through the enzymes used. Adding citric, malic, or lactic acids increased the solubility of the mineral elements studied, except for potassium which was easily dialyzable as such. Iron was insoluble in all situations. Citric acid was the most efficient chelating agent in solubilizing the mineral elements. The effect of malic and lactic acids on the solubility of minerals was small. No effect was found with glucose, ascorbic acid, and xylitol. Thus, the intestinal availability of mineral elements may be affected by dietary hydroxy acids such as citric and malic acids in high dietary fiber diets.     

Fortification of milk with calcium: effect on calcium bioavailability and interactions with iron and zinc

Calcium solubility, dialysability, and transport and uptake (retention + transport) by Caco-2 cells as indicators of calcium bioavailability have been estimated in the in vitro gastrointestinal digests of milk and calcium fortified milk. A significant linear correlation (p < 0.05) was obtained between calcium uptake and the amount of soluble calcium added to the cells, and also between percentage calcium uptake and the calcium measured in the analyzed samples. The solubility, dialysis, transport, and uptake values are higher (p < 0.05) for calcium fortified milks than for nonfortified milks; that is, calcium fortification increases not only calcium content but also its bioavailability. An inhibitory effect of calcium from fortified milks upon iron absorption was found. The observed effect of calcium from fortified milks upon zinc bioavailability depends on the in vitro method used, zinc solubility and dialysis decrease in calcium fortified milks, and percentage zinc uptake remains unchanged.     

Effects of liming on organic matter decomposition and phosphorus extractability in an acid humic Ranker soil from northwest Spain

Summary A laboratory incubation experiment was carried out over 17 weeks to determine the effect of liming on soil organic matter. The amount of lime as calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂] required to completely neutralise exchangeable Al was found to be five times the standard lime requirement. This large amount of lime had a limited overall effect on the short-term stability of soil organic matter, causing the release of 1300 g g^-1 of C (1.7% total soil C) above the control during the incubation. Liming may have altered the potential availability of soil organic matter and organic P, as shown by a marked reduction in the extractability of soil organic P with sodium bicarbonate and sodium hydroxide. The latter was unlikely to be due to the formation of calclium-P artefacts, and may be attributed to the combined chemical effects of added calcium hydroxide and precipitation of exchangeable Al on the nature and solubility of soil organic constituents and organomineral complexes. The addition of lime increased the degradation of added oak leaf litter by 50%, from 3.2 to 4.7 mg g^-1, as determined by CO₂ evolution. The enhanced litter degradation indicated increased microbial activity in limed soil, but this improvement had only minor effects on the stability of native organic matter. This study highlights the need for further research into the relationships between the chemical nature of organic P in soil and the physical, chemical, temporal, and agronomic factors that control its turnover and availability.     

Combined effects of labile and recalcitrant carbon on short‐term availability of nitrogen in intensified arable soil

In sustainable agriculture, returns of organic materials to soil have a major impact on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover, but their effect on the final availability of N to crops is difficult to quantify, and the nature of the C source is usually neglected in predictive models. We investigated the individual and combined effects of labile sugars and phenolic acids on soil microbial processes related to the N cycle. Gross rates of N transformations were measured by using ¹⁵N isotope dilution after the addition to the soil of glucose, phenols and of an extract of the common catch crop Lolium multiflorum. Whatever the nature of the organic C added, a decrease in the availability of the soil ammonium pool was observed. This result was a response to two contrasting mechanisms: (i) a fuelling of microbial growth after the addition of glucose and (ii) a decline in microbial growth and a tendency toward depression of gross N transformations after the addition of phenols. We also observed a suppression of nitrification potential with the addition of Lolium extract and with phenolics added in combination with glucose. These mechanisms may reduce nitrate loss, but may have an adverse short‐term effect on N‐availability. We conclude that all carbon additions help to retain inorganic N in the short term, but the timing of N release to the following crop depends on the final outcome of the divergent microbial dynamics that may come into play.     

小分子有机物质螯合钙肥的应用效果

采用盆栽试验,将两种小分子有机物(氨基酸、糖醇)为主剂的螯合钙肥与单质硝酸钙和市场钙肥产品糖醇钙(糖醇螯合钙)比较,研究叶面喷施和根施两种施肥方式对小白菜生长、品质和养分吸收的影响。结果表明：与硝酸钙和糖醇钙相比,无论是喷施还是根施,两种小分子有机物质螯合钙肥都能在不同程度上提高小白菜的钙吸收量,提高其生物量,改善品质;喷施和根施小分子有机物螯合钙肥Ⅰ与分别施用硝酸钙相比,小白菜生物量分别提高了33.63％和31.55％;喷施和根施小分子有机物质螯合钙肥Ⅱ与施用硝酸钙相比,小白菜的生物量分别提高了18.95％和49.95％。与硝酸钙相比,两种小分子有机物质螯合钙肥喷施可使植株钙累积量分别平均提高5.31％和6.84％;根施则使植株钙累积量分别提高13.51％和45.31％。另外,喷施、根施两种小分子有机物质螯合钙肥与施用硝酸钙与糖醇钙相比,均不同程度地提高了小白菜的Vc和可溶性蛋白含量,降低了硝态氮含量。因此,以氨基酸和糖醇为主剂的螯合钙肥无论采用喷施还是根施,都能对小白菜起到良好的增产提质效果。     

Nutrient Availability Response to Sulfur Amendment in Histosols having Variable Calcium Carbonates

High soil pH and excessive calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) in the Everglades Agricultural Area of south Florida reduce the availability of phosphorus and micronutrients to crops. Sulfur (S) amendment is recommended to reduce soil pH and enhance nutrient supply. The study’s objective was to determine the sulfur amendment effectiveness on soil pH and nutrient availability in organic soil as CaCO₃ content increases in soil. An experiment of four S rates (0, 90,224, and 448 kg ha^?1) and three added CaCO₃ (0%, 12.5%, and 50% by volume) in organic soil was established. Sulfur application had limited effects on soil pH reduction as CaCO₃ level increased and therefore failed to enhance nutrient availability; however, it increased sulfate concentration in soils, which could be at risk for export from the field. Unexpected increases in manganese concentration with added CaCO₃ was associated with reducing conditions due to increased soil bulk density, which changed the soil physical properties.     

不同pH下有机酸对针铁矿和膨润土吸附Cd2+、Pb2+的影响

用平衡吸附法研究了不同pH下,三种有机酸(乙酸、酒石酸和柠檬酸)对针铁矿和膨润土等温吸附Cd2 、Pb2 的影响。结果表明:在加入的Cd2 、Pb2 浓度分别小于0.2 mmol L-1和4.0 mmol L-1时,针铁矿和膨润土吸附平衡体系的pH随加入重金属浓度的增加而降低,膨润土体系的pH降低更明显。在有机酸作用下,pH对针铁矿和膨润土吸附Cd2 、Pb2 的影响差异显著。3酒石酸>乙酸,其对膨润土吸附的影响差异不明显。     

Effects of amino-acid chemistry and soil properties on the behavior of free amino acids in acidic forest soils

Free amino acids (FAAs) in soil solution are increasingly recognized as a potentially important source of nitrogen (N) for plants, yet we are just beginning to understand the behavior of FAAs in soil. I investigated the effects of amino-acid chemistry and soil properties on mineralization, microbial assimilation and sorption of amino-acid N in soils from three ecosystems representing the two endpoints and mid point of a temperate forest fertility gradient ranging from low mineral N availability/high FAA oak forests to high mineral N availability/low FAA maple-basswood forests. Soils were amended with six ¹⁵N-labeled amino-acid substrates that ranged widely in chemical properties, including molecular weight, C:N ratio, average net charge, hydrophobicity, and polarity: Arginine (Arg), Glutamine (Gln), Glutamate (Glu), Serine (Ser), Glycine (Gly) and Leucine (Leu). Mineralization of amino-acid N accounted for 7-45% (18% avg.) of the added label and was most strongly affected by soil characteristics, with mineralization increasing with increasing soil fertility. Mineralization of amino-acid N was unrelated to amino-acid C:N ratio, rather, I observed greater N mineralization from polar FAAs compared to non-polar ones. Assimilation of amino-acid N into microbial biomass accounted for 6-48% (29% avg.) of the added label, and was poorly predicted by either intrinsic amino-acid properties or soil properties, but instead appeared to be explicable in terms of compound-specific demand by soil micoorganisms. Sorption of amino-acid N to soil solids accounted for 4-15% (7% avg.) of the added label and was largely controlled by charge characteristics of individual amino acids. The fact that both positively- and negatively-charged amino acids were more strongly sorbed than neutral ones suggests that cation and anion exchange sites are an important factor controlling sorption of FAAs in these acid forest soils. Together, the findings from this study suggest that there may be important differences in the behavior of free amino acids in sandy, acidic forest soils compared to generalizations drawn from finer-textured grassland soils, which, in turn, might affect the availability of some FAAs in soil solution.     

铝(氢)氧化物对有机酸和磷酸根的竞争吸附研究

研究了磷 /草酸浓度比 (Cp/Cox)、草酸 (OX)与磷 (P)加入顺序、多种有机酸共存等条件下铝 (氢 )氧化物 (Al(OH)x)对有机酸和磷的吸附量变化。结果表明 :磷浓度一定时 ,随Cp/Cox减小 ,Al(OH)x吸附磷量降低 ,吸附OX量增高 ,吸附阴离子总量一般随浓度升高而增加 ;Cp/Cox相同时 ,5种加入方式吸P顺序为P/OX P -OX OX +P OX -P OX/P ;Cp/Cox不同时 ,Al (OH)x吸附配位体的总量也相应变化 ;几种有机酸共存时 ,Al(OH)x对体系中的各种阴离子均有吸附 ,且相互影响和制约 ,总吸附量取决于离子种类和浓度 ,3种有机酸影响P吸附量的顺序为柠檬酸 (CA) 草酸 (OX) 酒石酸 (Tar) ;Al (OH)x加磷后随平衡时间延长 ,先吸附的OX和CA对吸附P量的影响逐渐减弱 ,它们的相对亲合力越来越成为主导因素。     

低分子量有机酸对不同合成磷源的释磷效应

采用化学浸提方法,研究了5种低分子量有机酸(草酸、柠檬酸、酒石酸、苹果酸、乙酸)对不同合成磷源的释磷效应。结果表明:供试有机酸(低浓度乙酸除外)均能促进不同合成磷源(DCP、OCP、FA、Fe-P、A l-P)中磷素的释放;其释磷效果与有机酸的种类和浓度有关,强弱顺序依次为柠檬酸、草酸、酒石酸、苹果酸、乙酸,有机酸浓度越高其释磷效果越好;有机酸与氟磷灰石(FA)反应后,溶液pH值升高。低浓度条件下pH值变化较大,而高浓度条件下pH值变化较小。     

不同有机废弃物对土壤磷吸附能力及有效性的影响

城郊农地是循环有机废弃物的重要场所,但长期施用畜禽粪和城市污泥可引起土壤磷素积累、磷饱和度提高,增加土壤向环境流失磷的风险。为了解施用不同来源的有机废弃物对城郊耕地土壤磷素化学行为的影响,选择4种不同磷含量的土壤,探讨在等量磷素情况下,施用KH2PO4、猪粪/稻草秸秆堆肥、沼渣、猪粪、鸡粪、生活垃圾堆肥和2种污泥等不同磷源时,土壤有效磷含量及磷吸附能力的差异。结果表明,施用有机废弃物增加了土壤有效磷和水溶性磷含量,降低了土壤对磷的吸附能力,但影响程度因有机废弃物来源而异。施用猪粪/稻草秸秆堆肥和猪粪降低土壤磷最大吸附量比例(9.03%~15.60%)与施KH2PO4(10.59%~16.63%)相当,但施用沼渣、鸡粪和生活垃圾堆肥降低土壤磷最大吸附量的比例(5.09%~9.84%)明显低于施KH2PO4;施用2种污泥降低土壤磷最大吸附量的比例(4.32%~6.77%)最小。不同有机废弃物对土壤有效磷的影响差异较小,但对水溶性磷的影响较大。施用有机废弃物后,土壤磷最大吸附量的下降值与施用有机废弃物中铁、铝、钙含量呈负相关;土壤水溶性磷的变化量与施用有机废弃物后土壤交换性钙的增加量呈负相关,表明有机废弃物中铁、铝和钙等矿质成分的增加,可在一定程度上减少有机废弃物在土壤循环处理时磷对环境的负影响。在农田施用有机废弃物时,不仅要考虑有机废弃物磷素状况,也应适当考虑其他矿质成分的组成特点。该研究可为城郊农地科学施用有机废弃物提供依据。     

Relative importance of protons and solution calcium concentration in phosphate rock dissolution by organic acids

A series of experiments was conducted to quantify the relative contribution of protons and other mechanisms to the dissolution of phosphate rocks (PRs) from six countries in solutions of low-molecular-weight-aliphatic organic acids. The amounts of P and Ca released after 3 d of incubation at 28°C were determined in all the experiments. In the first experiment the solubility of the PRs < 500 μm particle size) in 100 M (25 mL g^-1 PR) oxalic, tartaric, and citric acids was compared with that in three mineral acids and four chelating compounds. There were no differences in the amount of P released by the mineral acids, but the organic acids released more P than could be accounted for by protonation. The chelating compounds were the least effective. In the second experiment, 1 g each of Sri Lanka and Togo PRs was incubated with 2.5 mmol of the organic acids using three acid concentration (mM) : acid volume ratios (250:10, 100:25, and 25:100). The amount of P dissolved from the PRs and the amount of acid remaining in the filtrate were about the same for all three treatments. A mixture of the organic acids and the respective Na-salts was prepared at six different acid: salt ratios in the third experiment. Total acid concentration in all the solutions was 100 mM. Higher proportion of the Na-salt in the mixture decreased PR dissolution, while the amount of the acid remaining in the filtrate increased. The Ca concentration in the filtrate showed an opposite trend. The results indicated that PR dissolution by the organic acids was initially dependent on protonation, which accounted for only 13–38% of the amount of P dissolved. Most of the amount of P dissolved could therefore be attributed to other mechanisms. Removal of dissolved Ca from the solution appears to be the major factor controlling the subsequent dissolution of the PRs. The ability of tartaric and oxalic acids to dissolve effectively the PRs was attributed to the formation of an insoluble calcium compound which was precipitated from the solution. For the use of organic acids as a potential amendment for improving the P availability of PRs, the Ca binding power of the organic acids should also be considered.     

氧化土和老成土中自然产生的有机酸对磷的活化

Citric and malic acids at concentrations of 0.1,1.0,10,and 100 mmol/L were added to three Ultisols and one Oxisol,The amount of P in solution increased with increasing organic acid concentrations,while the amount of Fe-and Al-bound P decreased.This result suggested that naturally occurring products of organicmatter decomposition could increase the P availability to plants in soils where there is a relatively large pool of Fe-and Al-bound P.The interactions between citric and malic acids at the above concentrations,and p added at rates of 10,20,40,and 80mg/kg were determined.At zero levels of organic acids,all added P became either labile or bound ,and greater proportions remained soluble as the concentration of orgaic acids increased,which suggested that organic acids reduced fixation of dissolved P in Fe-and AL-rich soils .Agricultural practices which increase organic matter input on P-deficient acid soild could decrease P deficiency,This would be important in many tropical and subtropical regions where these soils are common,and where the costs of fertilizers and lime are relatively high.     

有机酸对不同磷源施入石灰性潮土后无机磷形态转化的影响

采用室内培养和化学分析的方法研究了几种有机酸对石灰性潮土无机磷形态转化的影响。结果表明,1)石灰性潮土中磷素主要以有效性很低的磷酸盐(Ca10-P等)形式存在,而有效性较高的磷酸盐(Ca8-P等)含量较少,Ca2-P就更少。2)不同磷源施入土壤后,无机磷总量相应增加。磷酸二氢钾与磷酸二钙主要向Ca8-P、Al-P等有效性相对较差的磷素形态转化,磷酸八钙、氟磷灰石、磷酸铁、磷酸铝等有效性较差的磷源,在较短的时期内主要以自身的形态存在。3)施加各种有机酸可以不同程度地降低土壤中Fe-P、Al-P和Ca10-P含量,增加Ca2-P、Ca8-P和O-P含量,总的趋势是促进土壤中植物难以利用的无机磷形态向植物可以利用的形态转化。这种促进能力因有机酸种类和性质的不同而不同,其作用大小顺序为草酸柠檬酸酒石酸。     

Einfluß von N-Lignin auf Wachstum und N-Stoffwechsel von Weizen-Zellsuspensionskulturen

The effects of N-Lignin on growth and N-metabolism in wheat cells in suspension cultures N-Lignin is an organic N-fertilizer which is synthesized from waste liquors of the pulp industry by oxydative ammonisation. Nearly 40% of its N-content is available as ammonium, the rest is linked in organic compounds. Water-soluble fractions of N-Lignin were added to the nutrient solutions of wheat cells in suspension cultures in order to study the effects on growth and N-metabolism. The experiments show that N-Lignin is a suitable nitrogen source for growing wheat cells. The best growth was achieved when 50% of the total nitrogen content of the medium were added as N-Lignin nitrogen. This mixture of N-Lignin and nitrate was even superior to the standard B-5-medium with respect to the final dry weight. However, higher concentrations of N-Lignin inhibited cell growth. The effect of N-Lignin on cell growth is not only influenced by ammonia. If wheat cells were grown on media with ammonium-N as the sole nitrogen source acids of the citrate cycle had to be added to support growth. This was not necessary with N-Lignin. N-Lignin therefore seems to effect the energy metabolism. High amounts of ammonium-N or the reduced N-fractions of N-Lignin respectively resulted in an increase of certain amino acids and especially of the two amides glutamine and asparagine. Furthermore root formation was observed with cells grown in media containing N-Lignin or ammonium-N. The root formation seemed to be correlated with added amounts of reduced nitrogen. Root formation was not observed with cell cultures incubated with N-Lignin solutions which were made free of ammonium-ions with a cation exchanger (Amberlite IR-120) loadad with potassium. This indicates that the differentiation of roots in the normally embryonic cells is due to the ammonium-N content of N-Lignin. A possible correlation between the content of glutamine and asparagine and the formation of roots is discussed.     

Influence of components of infant formulas on in vitro iron, zinc, and calcium availability

The effect of casein content and Ca concentration on Fe, Zn, and Ca dialyzability was assessed using a response surface design. Tested casein levels were 5.31-13.75 g/L (34.8-90.2% of total protein). Whey protein was added to complete 15.25 g/L total protein. Calcium levels were adjusted with calcium citrate within a range between 417.4 and 804.9 mg/L. Through the experimental design utilized, we found that of both assessed factors, only the casein content significantly influenced Fe and Zn dialyzability. Protein composition did not influence calcium dialyzability, and calcium concentration did not affect either Fe or Zn dialyzability. No effect of casein-Ca on iron, zinc, and calcium dialyzability was found. According to these results, whey-dominant formulas are less prone to hamper mineral availability, and are therefore suitable in order to improve iron and zinc availability.     

Model organic compounds differ in priming effects on alkalinity release in soils through carbon and nitrogen mineralisation

The influence of organic matter and its cycling on soil pH change is still unclear. This study investigated the effect of organic compounds on carbon and nitrogen dynamics and their relationship with pH changes in two soils differing in initial soil pH (Podosol of pH 4.5 and Tenosol of pH 6.2). Seven organic compounds representing common compounds in decomposing plant residues or root exudates were added to the soils and incubated for 60 d. The largest cumulative soil respiration occurred when glucose, malic acid and citric acid were added. In addition, the Tenosol had the greater respiration compared to the Podosol. The addition of organic acids (acetic, malic, citric, ferulic and benzoic acid) instantly decreased soil pH due to the dissociation of H⁺ from the acids. The pH of both soils was then restored over time, which was positively correlated with decomposition % of these compounds. The pH of the Tenosol amended with all the organic acids and of the Podosol with malic acid exceeded that of the control, and net alkalization occurred, with the degree of alkalization being greater with malic and citric acid. Adding organic acids to the Tenosol generally increased NH₄ concentrations but decreased NO₃ concentrations. The addition of glucose decreased pH in Podosol but slightly increased it in the Tenosol. The addition of glucosamine hydrochloride decreased pH due to significant nitrification. The results suggest that the addition of organic acids stimulates microbial NO₃ uptake, and ammonification and decomposition of indigenous soil organic matter, resulting in a priming effect on alkalinity release, and that the degree of the priming effect is influenced by the type of organic acid and initial soil pH.     

低分子量有机酸对石灰性土壤有机磷组成及有效性的影响

为探索提高土壤磷素有效性的途径,采用室内培养的方法,研究不同有机酸对土壤速效磷含量及有机磷组分的影响。结果表明,添加有机酸后土壤速效磷含量发生显著变化,其中草酸处理下土壤速效磷含量显著高于其他处理,而柠檬酸和苹果酸对土壤速效磷含量具有抑制作用,其活化量为负值;随着培养时间的延长,速效磷含量缓慢降低。速效磷含量随着草酸浓度的升高而升高,随着苹果酸、柠檬酸浓度的升高而降低;有机酸处理后,土壤活性、中活性、中稳性有机磷升高,高稳性有机磷降低,这说明有机酸能促进土壤有机磷由有效性低的形态逐步向有效性高的形态转化,其中草酸的作用效果总体上较柠檬酸和苹果酸强。     

Content and bioavailability of organic forms of nitrogen in the O horizon of a podzol

It is often thought that the most important source of nitrogen for plants and microorganisms comes from amino acids and amino sugars when they are hydrolysed in acid conditions. We did a microcosm experiment to test the hypothesis. In the experiment spruce seedlings (Picea abies L. Karst) were grown for 145 days in soil taken from a podzol Oa horizon under a long-term nitrogen fertilization experiment (control and N-treated soil). Net changes in different pools of organic N were determined using standard fractionation (acid hydrolysis and pyrophosphate extraction). During the experiment the amino acid and amino sugar pools decreased significantly (14% and 15% for the control and 10% and 17% for the N treatment), whereas no significant change was observed in the non-amino acid plus non-amino sugar fraction. On a per organic C basis there was even a significant increase in the non-amino acid plus non-amino sugar fraction of 11% for the control and 8% for the N treatment. Pyrophosphate extractions suggest that amino acids or amino sugars associated with the humin fraction were more accessible to microbes and plants than those associated with the humic acid, fulvic acid and hydrophilic substances. The long-term N fertilization (about 73 kg N ha⁻¹ was added annually as NH₄NO₃ during a 24-year period) resulted in an enrichment of all major fractions of organic N, i.e. amino acids, amino sugars and non-amino acids plus non-amino sugars. This enrichment was largely the result of small increases in all of the amino acids rather than large increases in just a few.