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The Partial Inactivation of Degradative Soil Enzymes by Residual Fertilizer Copper in Histosols
Author(s) -
Mathur S. P.,
Sanderson R. B.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1980.03615995004400040019x
Subject(s) - histosol , chemistry , invertase , mineralization (soil science) , soil water , cellulase , organic matter , environmental chemistry , amylase , soil organic matter , copper , agronomy , food science , enzyme , environmental science , biochemistry , soil science , biology , organic chemistry , soil biodiversity
Samples of 14 neighboring fields of Histosols (organic soils) were similar in all but one of their 24 physical and chemical properties examined. The Cu content of these soils varied from 18 to 275 µg/g. Activities of C 1 ‐cellulase, C x ‐cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, amylase, inulase, lichenase, and lipase enzymes in the air‐dried and stored soil samples were found to correlate posiitvely with soil respiration and negatively with soil Cu content. Similarly, when samples from many border strips kept free of plants by cultivation in the same 14 fields were collected, air‐dried at about 23°C, and assayed within 1 week in summer, soluble Cu content of the soils was found to be negatively correlated with the cellobiase and invertase activities, and the enzyme activity levels similar to those of the air‐dried samples in storage for 2 years. Evidence presented therefore supports earlier suggestions that Cu may restrain the mineralization and subsidence of some organic soils through inactivation by the Cu of certain extracellular soil enzymes which normally facilitate biochemical oxidation of nonhumic soil organic matter.