Response of soil microbial biomass to straw incorporation

The response of the soil microbial biomass to cereal straw incorporation was assessed for three sites in Eastern Scotland. Increases in the C:N ratio of the biomass, due to straw inputs, were greater for soil with a history of straw incorporation than soil with no previous incorporation history. The biomass C:N ratio response to straw inputs was associated with increases in the fungal component of soil microbial respiration, fungal plate count (total and cellulolytic) and FDA-active lengths of fungal hyphae.