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Nitrate Reduction and Associated Microbial Populations in a Ponded Hanford Sandy Loam
Author(s) -
Volz M. G.,
Belser L. W.,
Ardakani M. S.,
McLaren A. D.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1975.00472425000400010022x
Subject(s) - denitrifying bacteria , loam , denitrification , nitrate , environmental chemistry , chemistry , nitrite , environmental science , soil water , soil science , nitrogen , organic chemistry
A field plot of Hanford sandy loam was ponded for 2 weeks with a solution of KNO 3 and Ca(NO 3 ) 2 containing 100 ppm NO 3 ‐N in order to measure short term denitrification rates as well as growth and distribution of bacteria capable of reducing nitrate to nitrite and/or N 2 O and N 2 . Denitrifying bacteria (10 1 −2.9 × 10 4 /g soil) generally decreased in number with depth and time and were not as numerous as nitrate reducers (10 1 −6.9 × 10 5 /g soil). In the top 60 cm of soil, the concentration of NO 2 − ‐N in soil solution corresponded to minima in NO 3 − ‐N, suggesting that NO 3 − reduction gave rise to the NO 2 − . Denitrification rates calculated for the top 16 cm of water‐saturated soil were estimated to range from 0.013 to 0.046 µ g N/hour g −1 . The highest value was about 80% of that measured in a laboratory soil column studied previously. This difference in denitrification rates may be due to lower soil carbon content in the field.