Extraction of newly immobilized n from an illinois mollisol using aqueous phenol

Studies were conducted on an ¹⁵N-enriched Illinois Mollisol (Flanagan silt loam) to determine the extractability of newly immobilized N with aqueous phenol (45%, v/v). In comparison to mild extradants proposed as indexes of plant available N (i.e. 10 mw NaHCO₃ and hot 10 m CaCl₂), phenol showed the highest selectivity for the immobilized N, both with regard to the amount of biomass N extracted and the magnitude of the extractability ratio (ER). Aqueous phenol was also more selective in removing the immobilized N than reagents used for extraction of soil organic matter (i.e. 150 m Na₄P₂O₇ and 100 m KOH). Results with soils incubated for up to 120 days showed that the amount of ¹⁵N extracted with aqueous phenol fluctuated with time and was related to changes in the soil microbial population, e.g. ER was highest when the bacterial population was maximal. Aqueous phenol shows promise as a selective extradant of potentially-available (labile) organic N in soils.