Volatile fatty acid production with alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and glucose in denitrifying soil at different temperatures

Summary A laboratory study was done to determine how, if at all, temperatures affect the production of volatile fatty acids and the rate of denitrification in soil. Glucose and alfalfa were compared as C substrates at temperatures of -2, 10, and 25°C under anaerobic conditions. At -2°C (soil not frozen), the denitrification rate was slow but was as rapid with alfalfa as glucose. This indicated that the production of volatile fatty acids by fermenters or other C substrates from alfalfa were adequate to sustain denitrifiers. No volatile fatty acids were apparently produced with glucose at -2°C whereas acetate and propionate were produced with alfalfa during the 26-day incubation period. During the 8-day incubation period at 10°C, there were also greater accumulations of acetate and propionate with alfalfa than with glucose. At 25°C, there was no major difference in the denitrification rate between glucose and alfalfa over a 4-day period. In a contrast to the other temperatures, more butyrate than propionate was produced at 25°C, especially with alfalfa. Acetate was the dominant volatile fatty acid produced and generally increased with temperature, especially after NO₃ exhaustion at 10 and 25°C. This indicated that acetate was a source of C for denitrifiers.