Summary
The influence of nitrification on the status of soil organic nitrogen is examined by applying NH +4 -15N to the soil in the absence and the presence of a selective inhibitori.e. nitrapyrin. Parallel with nitrification, formation of organic nitrogen from the added fertilizer was followed. In the soil examined (pH 6.5, 4% organic carbon),ca. 55% of the fertilizer-N was immobilized during the 60 days incubation period, as a consequence of the nitrification process. Nitrification not only appeared to contribute to the binding of added mineral nitrogen onto soil organic matter, but also to re-immobilization of mineralised soil nitrogen.
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El Azhar, S., Van Cleemput, O. & Verstraete, W. Nitrification mediated nitrogen immobilization in soils. Plant Soil 94, 401–409 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374333
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374333