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Sequential transformation rates of soil organic sulfur fractions in two-step mineralization process

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Abstract

To understand the organic sulfur (S) stabilization in volcanic soils, we investigated organic S transformation rates and their relationships to soil properties in incubation experiments using forest soils from the Nikko volcanic region, central Japan. We hypothesized that carbon (C)-bonded S would first be transformed into ester sulfate-S and then into inorganic sulfate-S. We separately calculated the rates of decrease of C-bonded S (velocity 1, v 1) and ester sulfate-S (velocity 2, v 2) concentrations. During incubation, the ester sulfate-S concentration increased in two soils characterized by a high concentration of both ammonium oxalate-extractable aluminum (Alo) and pyrophosphate-extractable Al (Alp), whereas the C-bonded S concentration decreased in all soils. A large proportion of the S that was lost in the incubation experiments consisted of C-bonded S rather than ester sulfate-S. Velocity 2 was negatively correlated with both of Alo and Alp contents when soils were incubated at 20 °C. These results suggest that when C-bonded S is transformed into ester sulfate-S, complete mineralization to inorganic sulfate is inhibited, because ester sulfate-S is stabilized due to organo–mineral association. Incubation temperatures significantly affected v 2. Thus, production of inorganic sulfate by mineralization of ester sulfate-S appeared to be regulated by soil Al contents and temperatures. Velocity 1 was proportional to soil pH ranging from 4.5 to 5.5, indicating that the degradation of C-bonded S is pH dependent.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. A. Imaya, Dr. Y. Inagaki, Dr. K. Ono, and the other members of the Department of Forest Site Environment of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute; Dr. Y. Matsuda (Mie University), Dr. Y. Hirano (Nagoya University) for making a number of helpful suggestions. We also thank Prof. J. Prietzel (Technische Universität München), Dr. R. Wagai, Dr. S. Hiradate, and Dr. M. Asano (National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences) for invaluable suggestions concerning soil organic S stabilization. We additionally thank Dr. P. Nannipieri, the editor-in-chief, and two anonymous reviewers for their critical comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. We are grateful for the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT, 21780162, 24580096); the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan; and a Grant for Environmental Research Projects from the Sumitomo Foundation (no. 103331). This work was also supported by the Program for Supporting Activities for Female Researchers funded by MEXT's Special Coordination Fund for Promoting Science and Technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Nagai-kyutaro, Momoyama, Fushimi, Kyoto, 612-0855, Japan

    Toko Tanikawa

  2. Shikoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 2-915 Asakura-Nishimachi, Kochi, 780-8077, Japan

    Kyotaro Noguchi & Hisao Sakai

  3. Mie University, 1577 Kurimamachiya, Tsu, Mie, 514-8507, Japan

    Kenichi Nakanishi

  4. Kyushu Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 4-11-16 Kurokami, Kumamoto, 860-0862, Japan

    Hidetoshi Shigenaga

  5. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8687, Japan

    Junko Nagakura, Akio Akama & Masamichi Takahashi

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  1. Toko Tanikawa
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  2. Kyotaro Noguchi
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  8. Masamichi Takahashi
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Kenichi Nakanishi Deceased

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Tanikawa, T., Noguchi, K., Nakanishi, K. et al. Sequential transformation rates of soil organic sulfur fractions in two-step mineralization process. Biol Fertil Soils 50, 225–237 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-013-0849-8

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