土地利用方式对红壤氮素矿化和硝化作用的影响

研究在我国亚热带红壤地区采集林地、竹林、茶园和旱地农田4种利用方式的土壤样品,测定了氮素净矿化和净硝化以及N_2O排放速率,定量了氨氧化细菌(AOB)和氨氧化古菌(AOA),以期阐明土地利用方式对红壤氮素矿化和硝化作用的影响。结果表明,不同利用方式红壤AOA基因拷贝数在6.20×10~6到6.58×10~6copies g~(-1)土;AOB基因拷贝数在4.18×10~6到7.41×10~6copies g~(-1)土,AOA和AOB丰度的最大值均出现在旱地红壤。旱地红壤0～7天和0～14天的氮素净矿化速率分别为3.46和1.62 mg kg~(-1),均显著高于其他利用方式。氮素净矿化速率与土壤pH值呈显著的正相关关系(P0.05),与C/N呈显著的负相关关系(P0.05),说明土壤pH和C/N是影响不同利用方式红壤氮素净矿化速率的主要因子。旱地红壤0～7天和0～14天的净硝化速率分别为5.33和3.06 mg kg~(-1),也均显著高于其他利用方式。净硝化速率与铵态氮(NH_4~+-N)含量(P0.01)、pH(P0.05)和AOB(P0.01)均呈显著的正相关关系,表明土壤p H和可利用NH_4~+-N含量是影响红壤净硝化速率的重要因素,高土壤pH和NH_4~+-N含量有利于AOB的生长和活性,从而明显增加净硝化速率。然而,不同利用方式红壤的N_2O排放速率却没有显著的差异,说明利用方式似乎不影响土壤N_2O排放,这与净硝化速率变化规律相矛盾。可能的原因是,除了硝化作用外,好氧培养条件下还存在其他重要的N_2O产生途径,将来的研究中需要关注不同利用方式红壤N_2O产生途径,以阐明红壤N_2O排放机制。     

土样制备和保存方法对亚热带土壤反硝化的影响

比较了两种土样制备和保存方法对厌氧培养1周内土壤反硝化及矿化的动态影响。试验结果表明,强烈风干后并经长期存放过的土样显著促进了NO3--N浓度降低速率和N2O排放速率的提高,其反硝化速率和矿化速率分别较稍微风干后无存放时间(即立即开始培养试验)的土样提高了47.3%和31.0%。强烈风干土有机C矿化作用的增强以及易矿化有效态C含量的提高是促进反硝化作用增强的主要原因。风干程度和存放时间对反硝化的促进程度取决于其对有机质矿化影响的相对大小,对有机质矿化的影响越大,反硝化强度增加的幅度也越大。由试验结果可推测,利用风干土的实验室培养方法测定得到的土壤反硝化势可能会过高估计田间原位测定的反硝化势。     

水稻生育期内红壤稻田氨氧化微生物数量和硝化势的变化

利用荧光定量PCR(Real-timePCR)技术,通过特异引物检测amoA基因拷贝数分析了水稻不同生育期红壤稻田土壤中氨氧化细菌(Ammonia oxidizing bacteria,AOB)和氨氧化古菌(Ammonia oxidizing archaea,AOA)的数量变化,并测定了土壤潜在硝化势。结果显示:红壤稻田土壤中AOA数量显著高于AOB,二者比例在1.6～120.7之间;红壤稻田根层土中AOA数量显著高于表土,随水稻生长根层和表土中AOA数量均逐渐增加,且根层土中增加幅度更大;在水稻生长前期表土中AOB数量较多,孕穗期后根层土中AOB数量显著增加且高于表土。水稻生长期内土壤潜在硝化势也具有逐渐增加趋势,且根层土潜在硝化势增加幅度更大。根层土中潜在硝化势与AOB和AOA数量均呈显著正相关,而表土中潜在硝化势只与AOA数量存在显著正相关。研究表明,红壤稻田土壤中AOA数量更为丰富,且与硝化作用的关联程度更为密切,证实了氨氧化微生物在红壤稻田土壤微生物组成及其生态系统功能中的重要性。     

红壤氮素的矿化和硝化作用特征

采用培养试验研究了侵蚀红壤,培肥后的红壤以及不同利用方式红壤氮素的矿化和硝化作用特征.结果表明,侵蚀红壤的矿化作用和硝化作用都很微弱,采用适宜的施肥措施培肥后氮素的矿化和硝化速率都有很大提高;红壤氮素的矿化和硝化速率与土壤pH、速效磷含量和有机质含量呈显著正相关.     

红壤氮素的矿化硝化作用特征

采用培养试验研究了侵蚀红壤,培肥后的红壤以及不同利用方式红壤氮素的矿化和硝化作用特征。结果表明,侵蚀红壤的矿化作用和硝化作用都很微弱,采用适宜的施肥措施培肥后氮素的矿化和硝化速率都有很大提高;红壤氮素的矿化和硝化速率与土壤pH、速效磷含量和有机质含量呈显著正相关。     

长期不同施肥措施水稻土可矿化氮与微生物量氮关系的研究

采用短期淹水密闭培养法、长期淹水密闭培养-间歇淋洗法及氯仿薰蒸法,探讨不施氮肥、施氮肥、氮肥 有机肥、氮肥 有机肥 放萍4种施肥措施,连续16年长期定位试验水稻土的可矿化氮及微生物量氮的变化.结果表明:经过16年培肥及水稻种植,与不施氮肥相比,单施化学氮肥使水稻土可矿化氮数量极显著下降(p＜0.01),化学氮肥与有机肥配施可极显著地提高水稻土可矿化氮数量(p＜0.01);而化学氮肥及化学氮肥与有机肥配施均可极显著增加水稻土微生物量氮的数量(p＜0.01),但以单施化学氮肥增加的幅度最大.与氮肥和有机肥配施相比,在此基础上,连续7年水稻插秧后接种“Azolla“固氮菌体,水稻土可矿化氮及微生物量氮数量均无显著变化.两种培养方法,水稻土可矿化氮量与微生物氮量之间无密切联系,但水稻土可矿化氮和矿化氮与微生物量氮比率之间则有密切正相关关系.     

添加硝化抑制剂DMPP对红壤水稻土硝化作用及微生物群落功能多样性的影响

通过室内培育试验,研究了不同施氮水平下添加硝化抑制剂(DMPP)处理对红壤水稻土NH4+-N、NO3–-N含量、微生物生物量碳及微生物群落功能多样性的影响。结果表明:56天培养期内,不同处理的NH4+-N含量总体呈下降趋势,而NO3–-N含量呈上升趋势。随施氮水平提高,培养期内NH4+-N平均含量从0 mg/kg处理的24.10 mg/kg增加到400 mg/kg处理的412.10 mg/kg,NO3–-N平均含量从0 mg/kg处理的41.88 mg/kg增加到400 mg/kg处理的99.83 mg/kg。添加DMPP显著抑制硝化作用进行,抑制效果随施氮量增加而提高,400 mg/kg施氮水平下,添加DMPP硝化率和硝化速率比不添加DMPP处理分别下降了29.0%和44.3%,下降幅度远大于其他施氮水平处理。施氮水平也影响土壤微生物生物量碳和微生物群落功能多样性。施氮量从0 mg/kg增加到400 mg/kg,土壤微生物生物量碳下降了12.5%,AWCD值下降了78.4%,Shannon指数下降了22.3%;与不添加DMPP处理相比,添加DMPP处理的土壤微生物生物量、AWCD值、Shannon指数分别提高了2.1%、23.9%、7.8%,尤其在400 mg/kg施氮水平下,提高的幅度更加明显。     

不同酸碱性紫色土的硝化活性及微生物群落组成

为研究紫色土中的硝化作用、总微生物和硝化微生物的群落结构,以重庆永川的酸性紫色土(p H=5.3)和中性紫色土(p H=7.2)以及四川盐亭的石灰性紫色土(p H=8.5)为研究对象,采用稳定性同位素标记技术进行培养实验,并通过Miseq测序对三种紫色土微生物群落结构进行分析。每种土样共设有三种处理,包括~(13)CO_2标记处理、~(12)CO_2对照处理和~(13)CO_2+C_2H_2对照处理。结果表明,中性紫色土(p H=7.2)和石灰性紫色土(p H=8.5)经过56 d的培养后发生了强烈的硝化作用,而酸性紫色土(p H=5.3)中未发生明显的硝化作用,并且硝化作用类型都以自养硝化为主。三种紫色土中都存在着变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)、厚壁菌门(Firmicutes)、绿弯菌门(Chloroflexi)、放线菌门(Actinobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)和芽单胞菌门(Gemmatimonadetes),其中变形菌门在三种紫色土中都大约占有20%的比例。中性紫色土和石灰性紫色土各处理中硝化螺旋菌门(Nitrospirae)百分比大于酸性紫色土各处理。三种紫色土各处理中的氨氧化细菌(Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB)主要以亚硝化螺菌属(Nitrosospira)为主,亚硝酸氧化细菌(Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria,NOB)主要以硝化螺菌属(Nitrospira)为主。且NOB/AOB的值在三种紫色土各处理中最高可达到13,这意味着全程氨氧化细菌(Comammox)可能在紫色土的硝化作用中占据重要贡献。     

施氮量和土壤含水量对黑麦草还田红壤氮素矿化的影响

目标 氮素矿化是决定土壤供氮能力的重要生态过程,养分添加和水分在调节土壤的氮转化方面起着重要的作用。探讨施氮和土壤水分对黑麦草还田过程中土壤氮素矿化的影响有利于进一步优化红壤旱地作物生产的水肥管理。 【方法】 通过室内培养试验,研究了施氮量 (0、60、120 mg/kg) 和土壤含水量 (15%、30%、45%) 对红壤旱地黑麦草还田过程中土壤净硝化量、氨化量和氮矿化量的影响。 【结果】 土壤含水量15%时,施氮有利于提高黑麦草还田初期土壤净硝化量,施氮量120 mg/kg抑制了黑麦草还田后期土壤硝化作用。在30%土壤含水量时,施氮量120 mg/kg明显抑制了黑麦草还田后期土壤硝化作用。土壤含水量45%抑制了黑麦草还田初期不同施氮水平下土壤净硝化量,但增加了黑麦草还田91 d时土壤净硝化量,且施氮量60 mg/kg下的净硝化量显著高于120 mg/kg水平下的。土壤净氨化量在整个黑麦草还田过程中均为正值,且呈现多次升高-降低的往复动态变化。土壤净氨化量在三种土壤含水量下均表现为施氮条件下的显著高于不施氮处理。土壤含水量的增加有利于提高施氮量120 mg/kg下黑麦草还田初期土壤的氨化作用,但降低了黑麦草还田后期土壤净氨化量。相比不施氮,三个含水量条件下的施氮处理在黑麦草还田过程中的大部分阶段都显著增加了土壤净氮矿化量,土壤含水量30%条件下土壤净氮矿化量的变化最大。相比土壤含水量15%,30%含水量促进了黑麦草还田中期 (13～57 d) 土壤净氮矿化量的增加,45%含水量抑制了黑麦草还田后期 (73～91 d) 土壤净氮矿化量。 【结论】 红壤区旱地黑麦草还田时应合理施入化学氮肥 (60 mg/kg),在黑麦草还田初期保持较高的土壤含水量 (45%) 能够抑制土壤的氮矿化作用,还田中后期适当降低土壤含水量 (30%)有利于增加土壤氮素的矿化。      

水钠锰矿提高红壤性水稻土N2O释放速率和氨氧化细菌amoA基因丰度

  【目的】  土壤中的氧化亚氮 (N₂O) 来源于硝化与反硝化作用,锰可与硝化或反硝化作用产物反应产生N₂O或氮气,已有研究表明土壤中锰含量高会影响硝化作用。因此,本试验以水钠锰矿 (KMnO₂·H₂O) 与土壤硝化作用与反硝化作用的生物化学耦合反应为切入点,研究水钠锰矿的添加对土壤N₂O释放速率及微生物的影响,进一步认识N₂O释放与土壤环境因子的相互关系。  【方法】  以红壤性水稻土为供试土壤,通过微宇宙培养试验,在土壤中添加不同质量百分比的水钠锰矿 (0%、0.1%、0.3%、0.7%、1.5%),预培养7 天后,加入硫酸铵N 100 mg/kg继续培养14天。在培养第1、3、7、14天,采用气密性注射器抽取10 mL气体样品,气相色谱仪测定N₂O含量;同时取土壤样品,比色法测定铵态氮与硝态氮含量。培养结束时,测定土壤pH,采用实时荧光定量PCR测定土壤16S rDNA与氨氧化细菌 (AOB) amoA基因拷贝数,高通量测序技术分析微生物群落组成及多样性。  【结果】  水钠锰矿提高了土壤N₂O释放速率,增加了土壤N₂O累积释放量,以添加0.1%水钠锰矿的N₂O累积释放量最高,添加1.5%的最低。土壤铵态氮含量随培养时间的延长而迅速降低,硝态氮含量则迅速增加。水钠锰矿显著提高了土壤pH与表观N₂O产量 (N₂O-N/NO₃?-N),pH随着水钠锰矿添加量的增加整体提高,N₂O-N/NO₃?-N则随着水钠锰矿添加量的增加呈降低趋势。适量水钠锰矿显著增加了土壤细菌16S rDNA与氨氧化细菌 (AOB) amoA基因拷贝数,并显著提高了土壤16S rDNA与AOB amoA基因拷贝数的比值,但随着水钠锰矿添加量的增加,细菌16S rDNA和AOB amoA基因拷贝数的增加量整体降低;放线菌、变形菌与拟杆菌是所有处理中的优势菌门,通过非度量多维尺度分析发现不同处理间的微生物群落结构差异显著,未添加水钠锰矿处理与添加水钠锰矿1.5%处理的微生物群落结构差异最大,其他处理的微生物群落结构介于两者之间。  【结论】  土壤中添加0.1%质量比的水钠锰矿,可以通过增加AOB的数量促进红壤性水稻土N₂O的释放,显著影响微生物物种丰度与群落结构。但水钠锰矿高添加量处理对AOB的刺激作用减弱,因此,应将土壤锰含量作为影响土壤N₂O释放的因素加以考虑。     

Microbial biomass dynamics in recently air-dried and rewetted soils compared to others stored air-dry for up to 103 years

Our aim was to compare the soil microbial biomass concentration and its activity (measured as CO₂-C evolved) following the rewetting and aerobic incubation of soils which have previously been stored air-dry for different periods. Some of the soils have been stored in the Rothamsted sample archive for 103 years, others were comparable freshly sampled soils following air-drying and rewetting and other soils were stored air-dry for 2 years then rewetted for the work described here. Following air-drying, soil ATP concentrations were variable in recently air-dried soil, comprising about 10-35% of the initial ATP concentrations in fresh soil. Following rewetting, the percentage recovery of ATP increased in all soils by 7 days, then declined to between 73% and 87% of the original ATP concentration in the air-dried soils by day 12. Storage of air-dried soils decreased the ability of the microbial biomass to restore its ATP concentrations. For example, the ATP concentration in a soil sampled from stubbed (i.e. tree seedling, saplings and bushes cut frequently to ground level) grassland of the Broadbalk continuous wheat experiment at Rothamsted then air-dried for 2 years was only about 14% of that in the fresh soil at 2 days after rewetting. In other soils from the Hoosfield Barley Experiment, also at Rothamsted, previously given NPK or FYM since 1852, and sampled then stored air-dry for between 13 and 83 years, from 52% to 57% of the ATP in the comparable fresh soils was measured at two days after rewetting. The soil ATP concentration then changed little more up to 12 days. One of the most interesting findings was that while the microbial biomass ATP concentration in the above NPK soils only ranged from about 2 to 4 μmol ATP g⁻¹ biomass C, in the FYM soil the microbial biomass ATP concentrations (range 11.5-13.6 μmol ATP g⁻¹ biomass C) were the same as we repeatedly measure in fresh moist aerobic soil. We do not yet know the reasons for this. More than twice as much CO₂-C was evolved from the long-term stored soils than from freshly sampled ones. However, the specific respiration of the microbial biomass did not change much after the first 12 years of storage, indicating that loss of viability mainly occurred in the earlier years.     

Gross nitrogen mineralization-, immobilization-, and nitrification rates as a function of soil C/N ratio and microbial activity

A laboratory experiment was designed to challenge the idea that the C/N ratio of forest soils may control gross N immobilization, mineralization, and nitrification rates. Soils were collected from three deciduous forests sites varying in C/N ratio between 15 and 27. They were air-dried and rewetted to induce a burst of microbial activity. The N transformation rates were calculated from an isotope dilution and enrichment procedure, in which ¹⁵NH₄Cl or Na¹⁵NO₃ was repeatedly added to the soils during 7 days of incubation. The experiments suggested that differences in gross nitrogen immobilization and mineralization rates between the soils were more related to the respiration rate and ATP content than to the C/N ratio. Peaks of respiration and ATP content were followed by high rates of mineralization and immobilization, with 1-2 days of delay. The gross immobilization of NH₄⁺ was dependent on the gross mineralization and one to two orders of magnitude larger than the gross NO₃⁻ immobilization. The gross nitrification rates were negatively related to the ATP content and the C/N ratio and greatly exceeding the net nitrification rates. Taken together, the observations suggest that leaching of nitrate from forest soils may be largely dependent on the density and activity of the microbial community.     

The adenylate energy charge of the soil microbial biomass

A method was developed for measuring adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP) in soil. All three adenine nucleotides were extracted from soil with a solution of trichloroacetic acid, paraquat and phosphate. ATP was measured in the neutralised (pH 7.4) soil extracts by the fire-fly luciferin-luciferase system. ADP was measured as ATP after incubating the neutralised extracts with pyruvate kinase (PK) and phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to convert ADP to ATP. AMP was converted to ATP by incubation with the coupled PK-PEP-myokinase system and measured as ATP. The quantities of nucleotides present in the extracts were corrected for incomplete extraction from soil by measuring the percentage recovery of added ATP, ADP and AMP. The adenylate energy charge (AEC) was calculated from the formula AEC = [[ATP] + 0.5[ADP]]/[[ATP] + [ADP] + [AMP]]. Measurements were made on (1) fresh soil, extracted as soon as possible after field sampling (2) soil stored air-dry at 5°C for 18 days and (3) soil stored air-dry at 5°C for 57 days and then rewetted to the original field moisture content and incubated aerobically for 2.5 h at 10°C before extraction.In moist soil the biomass maintains both ATP and AEC at levels close to those of activity growing cells, even though little of the biomass in soil can be in active growth at any given time. ATP accounted for 77% of the total adenine nucleotides (A_T) in the fresh soil, with an AEC of 0.85 (a value comparable to that found in microorganisms undergoing active growth in vitro. In contrast, ATP only accounted for 28% of A_T in the air-dried soil, with an AEC of 0.46. When the air-dried soil was rewetted, ATP increased to 66% of A_T and the AEC increased to 0.76. However, A_T in the air-dried soil (7.65 nmol g^?1 soil) was of the same order as that in rewetted soil (6.70 nmol g^?1) even though the AEC's were very different.These results show that the soil microbial biomass does not maintain a high AEC when air-dried. Once remoistened, the population tends to restore its AEC to the original value. This restoration occurs so rapidly that it cannot be due to the formation of a new biomass.     

Nitrogen mineralization and nitrifier activity in limed and urea‐treated soils

Abstract

The effect of liming on mineralization and soil nitrifier activity (NA) was investigated with Brookston clay (pH 5.7) and Haldimand clay (pH 4.7). Liming increased the rate of mineralization in both soils but at a rate about 4‐times greater in Haldimand clay than Brookston clay. A significant increase in N mineralization due to liming occurred in both soils only when pH was raised above 6.0. The rate of mineralization was greater than nitrification in the Haldimand soil resulting in NH₄ ⁺ accumulation. Nitrifier activity increased with liming of Brookston clay, but decreased in Haldimand clay after 15 days of incubation. There was a significant increase in nitrifier activity due to liming from 15 to 60 days in Haldimand clay. After 60 days nitrifier activity in limed treatments increased by five times over the unlimed control.

The nitrification of urea powder (1000 mg N.kg^‐1) mixed into the soil was also studied in several soils incubated at 15°C for 28 days. There was evidence up to 14 days that nitrification of urea was correlated with initial nitrifier activity. Between 14 and 28 days, other factors such as soil pH and possible ammonia toxicity in coarser textured soils as well as nitrifier activity were important. Accumulation of nitrite occurred mainly in soils with a pH above 7.0 up to 28 days especially where nitrifier population enrichment was not done.     

Effect of rewetting air-dried soils on pH and accumulation of mineral nitrogen

The effect of rewetting a number of air-dried soils on pH and on accumulation of mineral-N was examined in a laboratory incubation study. When rewetted-soils were incubated at 25°C three patterns of change in soil _pH and in accumulation of mineral-N were observed. Ammonification and nitrification proceeded together in soils with pH values greater than 6.0; soil pH decreased whilst concentrations of nitrate rose and those of ammonium remained low. By contrast, in soils with pH values less than 5.0, although ammonification proceeded there was no appreciable nitrification; soil pH increased whilst concentrations of ammonium rose and those of nitrate remained very low. In a third group of soils with pH values between 5.0 and 5.5, there was a delay in nitrification, but ammonification was not retarded; soil _pH initially rose as concentrations of ammonium increased, but when nitrification subsequently commenced the _pH decreased, concentrations of nitrate rose and those of ammonium declined. When microbial activity in rewetted soils was inhibited by incubation at 3°C, or in a chloroform atmosphere at 25°C, there was little change in concentrations of ammonium and nitrate, and soil pH remained relatively constant.
Such changes in soil _pH, induced by ammonification and nitrification, are likely to have important consequences to soil chemical studies where _pH-dependent reactions are being studied using rewetted soils. Changes in pH can be minimized by using field moist rather than air-dried soils.     

风干土保存时间和湿土培育时间对黄淮海平原潮土酶活性的影响

以经历18年不同施肥管理的土壤为研究对象,阐明它们经过4个不同时间保存或处理后的土壤脲酶、转化酶、脱氢酶、及FDA酶活性的动态变化。处理包括:风干保存30天或鲜土状态、风干保存210天、风干土湿润至田间持水量(25℃)条件下分别培育15天和51天;同时评估这些酶活性的变化程度与土壤本身有机碳含量之间的关系。结果表明,风干土保存时间和风干土湿润后短期培育均对脲酶活性影响很小,但风干土湿润培养51天后其活性则显著降低;随风干土保存时间延长,转化酶活性显著降低;与鲜土相比,风干土湿润培养15天后,脱氢酶活性显著提高,但继续湿润培养至51天后,其活性又降至与鲜土相当,因此风干土湿润培育一定时间后测定的脱氢酶活性可用来代表其田间自然湿度时的状态;FDA酶活性的变异程度最大,与其从鲜土状态至风干状态的活性急剧下降有关。土壤本身有机碳含量与脲酶和脱氢酶的活性变化程度成显著负相关关系,说明土壤有机碳含量是决定它们随环境条件改变而变化的主要因素之一。另外,土壤NH4+-N、NO3--N和可溶性有机碳含量对上述4种处理的响应程度也存在差异。其中风干状态土壤经湿润培育处理后,NH4+-N含量呈先降后升趋势,正好与脲酶活性变化趋势相反;而NO3--N含量整体上呈上升趋势,可溶性有机碳含量则正好相反。     

Assessing air-drying and rewetting pre-treatment effect on some soil enzyme activities under Mediterranean conditions

Soil enzyme activities are useful indicators of soil quality as they are very sensitive to disturbance. Sample storage or pre-treatments could affect the results in these assays, which are normally determined in fresh samples, kept cold or frozen. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of air-drying or air-drying and rewetting on β-glucosidase, acid phosphatase and urease activities in soils from different locations, degradation status and sampling seasons, and (ii) assess if air-drying or air-drying and rewetting is an accurate sample storage and pre-treatment procedure for enzyme activities in soil quality evaluations under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Our results showed that urease, phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities were hardly affected by air-drying of degraded and non-degraded soils from the two locations studied in all seasons. Short incubations (4, 8 and 12 d at 23 °C) of rewetted air-dried soil at 55% of water-holding capacity showed different patterns depending on the enzyme studied. Urease and β-glucosidase activities were relatively stable during incubation, with several significant (P<0.05) shifts up and down in some soils and samplings. However, acid phosphatase showed an increase in activity with incubation, of between 5% and 50% relative to air-dried samples. These increases followed no pattern and were unrelated to soil characteristics or sampling date. Hence, urease, phosphatase and β-glucosidase activities determined in air-dried soil samples seem to be representative of those obtained under field-moist conditions. In contrast, short incubations of rewetted soil samples can produce fluctuations in these enzyme activities, mainly of acid phosphatase, and estimations in these conditions are not so representative of field-moist soil values.     

Variation in the relationship between nitrification and acidification of subtropical soils as affected by the addition of urea or ammonium sulfate

The effects on nitrification and acidification in three subtropical soils to which (NH₄)₂SO₄ or urea had been added at rate of 250 mg N kg⁻¹ was studied using laboratory-based incubations. The results indicated that NH₄⁺ input did not stimulate nitrification in a red forest soil, nor was there any soil acidification. Unlike red forest soil, (NH₄)₂SO₄ enhanced nitrification of an upland soil, whilst urea was more effective in stimulating nitrification, and here the soil was slightly acidified. For another upland soil, NH₄⁺ input greatly enhanced nitrification and as a result, this soil was significantly acidified. We conclude that the effects of NH₄⁺ addition on nitrification and acidification in cultivated soils would be quite different from in forest soils. During the incubation, N isotope fractionation was closely related to the nitrifying capacity of the soils.     

Relationships of soil respiration to microbial biomass, substrate availability and clay content

The roles of microbial biomass (MBC) and substrate supply as well as their interaction with clay content in determining soil respiration rate were studied using a range of soils with contrasting properties. Total organic C (TOC), water-soluble organic carbon, 0.5 M K₂SO₄-extractable organic C and 33.3 mM KMnO₄-oxidisable organic carbon were determined as C availability indices. For air-dried soils, these indices showed close relationship with flush of CO₂ production following rewetting of the soils. In comparison, MBC determined with the chloroform fumigation-extraction technique had relatively weaker correlation with soil respiration rate. After 7 d pre-incubation, soil respiration was still closely correlated with the C availability indices in the pre-incubated soils, but poorly correlated with MBC determined with three different techniques—chloroform fumigation extraction, substrate-induced respiration, and chloroform fumigation-incubation methods. Results of multiple regression analyses, together with the above observations, suggested that soil respiration under favourable temperature and moisture conditions was principally determined by substrate supply rather than by the pool size of MBC. The specific respiratory activity of microorganisms (CO₂-C/MBC) following rewetting of air-dried soils or after 7 d pre-incubation was positively correlated with substrate availability, but negatively correlated with microbial pool size. Clay content had no significant effect on CO₂ production rate, relative C mineralization rate (CO₂-C/TOC) and specific respiratory activity of MBC during the first week incubation of rewetted dry soils. However, significant protective effect of clay on C mineralization was shown for the pre-incubated soils. These results suggested that the protective effect of clay on soil organic matter decomposition became significant as the substrate supply and microbial demand approached to an equilibrium state. Thereafter, soil respiration would be dependent on the replenishment of the labile substrate from the bulk organic C pool.     

Assessing the effects of air-drying and rewetting pre-treatment on soil microbial biomass,basal respiration,metabolic quotient and soluble carbon under Mediterranean conditions

Soil biochemical properties are useful indicators of soil quality as they are very sensitive to disturbance. Sample storage or pre-treatments could affect the results in these assays, which are normally determined on fresh samples, kept cold or frozen. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the effect of air-drying or incubation of rewetted air-dried soil samples on microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal soil respiration (BSR), qCO₂ and water soluble carbon (WSC), in soils from different locations, with different degradation status and sampling seasons, and (ii) assess if air-drying or incubation of rewetted air-dried soil samples is an accurate sample storage and pre-treatment procedure for these soil properties in soil quality evaluations under semiarid Mediterranean conditions. Our results showed that air-drying does not have the same effects on MBC, BSR, qCO₂ and WSC depending on the geographical situation and sampling date. It seems that the warmest and driest place and season show less variation when using air-dried soil samples, with values representative of those obtained under field-moist conditions. Short incubations (4, 8 and 12 days at 23 °C) provoked a general decrease in all properties, probably due to labile organic compounds depletion. Hence, air-dried soils can be used as part of soil quality analysis to estimate these biochemical properties in summer time in the semiarid region of South-East Spain, because they have not suffered severe affections. Moreover, MBC could also be determined using air-dried soil in the driest zones during all year. In contrast, estimations with incubated soil samples are not, in any case, representative of field-moist soil values.