Fumigation-extraction and substrate-induced respiration derived microbial biomass C,and respiration rate in limed soil of Scots pine sapling stands

The effect of liming on microbial biomass C and respiration activity was studied in four liming experiments on young pine plantations. One of the experimental sites had been limed and planted 12 years before, two 5 years before, and one a year before soil sampling. The youngest experimental site was also treated with ash fertilizer. Liming raised the pH_KCl of the humus layer by 1.5 units or less. Microbial biomass was measured using the fumigation-extraction and substrate-induced respiration methods. Liming did not significantly affect microbial biomass C, except in the experiment which had been limed 11 years ago, where there was a slight biomass increase. Basal respiration, which was measured by the evolution of CO₂, increased in the limed soils, except for the youngest experiment, where there was no effect. Ash fertilization raised the soil pH_KCl by about 0.5 unit, but did not influence microbial biomass C or basal respiration. Fumigation-extraction and substrate-induced respiration derived microbial biomass C values were correlated positively with each other (r=0.65), but substrate-induced respiration gave approximately 1.3 times higher results. In addition, the effect of storing the soil samples at +6 and -18°C was evaluated. The effects were variable but, generally, the substrate-induced respiration derived microbial biomass C decreased, and the fumigation-extraction derived microbial biomass C and basal respiration decreased or were not affected by storage.