Summary
A series of straw composts, containing two levels of ammonium nitrate, were incubated with mineral amendments. Rate of decomposition was at a maximum over the first twenty days and was not influenced by the level of added nitrogne. The presence of bentonite and kaolinite reduced the loss of organic material slightly over the period of 150 days. In the low-N series, all the added inorganic nitrogen was immediately immobilized but in the high-N series inorganic N was slightly in excess of the microorganisms requirements. Little or no remineralization occurred. As a result of immobilization there was a rapid increase in amino acid and amino sugar nitrogen over the first 30 days and the values then remained fairly constant. The amino acid and amino sugar levels were slightly higher in the composts containing bentonite and kaolinite.
In the early stages of the composting process, approximately half the organic nitrogen was soluble in phosphate buffer but the amount decreased with time of composting. Similarly, the amount of extracted nitrogen which could be hydrolysed by proteolytic enzymes, decreased with time. The composition of amino sugars liberated by acid hydrolysis suggested that chitin, probably of fungal origin, accounted for much of the amino sugar nitrogen and there is some evidence from oxidation studies for this. As composting proceeded, the amount of galactosamine increased and eventually muramic acid was identified indicating an increase in the bacterial flora.
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Beckwith, C.P., Parsons, J.W. The influence of mineral amendments on the changes in the organic nitrogen components of composts. Plant Soil 54, 259–270 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181852
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02181852