Relationship between mineralization and immobilization of nitrogen influenced by various conditions of submerged soils

The relationship between mineralization of soil nitrogen and immobilization of added nitrogen in submerged soils were studied under various soil conditions in a laboratory experiment. Selected factors which constituted soil conditions were content of soil organic nitrogen, quantity of nitrogen addition, temperature, soil drying, puddling, and period of incubation. Each factor contained some treatments in it.

The ratio of mineralization to immobilization, M/I, was relatively constant under various soil conditions. The values of M/I were around 2 except the soil drying treatments, indicating that the amount equivalent to about half of mineralized nitrogen is immobilized simultaneously under nitrogen added condition. Even so, if considered in detail, treatments that stimulate the microbial activities were observed to have increasing effect on M/I.

The ratio of additional mineralization caused by nitrogen addition to immobilization, ΔM/I, is considered to be an index to know the influence of nitrogen addition on the quantitative change of soil nitrogen level. This value was around 1 in the soil without any application of organic matters, and around 0.6 in the soil receiving straw compost for 10 years. Factors that have close relations with the value of ΔM/I were soil organic nitrogen level, temperature, soil drying, and period of incubation.