Premium
Ethylene Inhibition of Ammonium Oxidation in Soil
Author(s) -
Porter Lynn K.
Publication year - 1992
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/sssaj1992.03615995005600010016x
Subject(s) - ethylene , acetylene , loam , chemistry , incubation , partial pressure , soil water , nitrification , laboratory flask , ammonium , nuclear chemistry , steam distillation , environmental chemistry , nitrogen , chromatography , oxygen , organic chemistry , biochemistry , distillation , biology , catalysis , ecology
Small quantities of ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) are produced by bacteria and fungi in soils. Ethylene is produced when nitrogenase activity is measured by acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) reduction. Acetylene has been used as a nitrification inhibitor and has been shown to produce C 2 H 4 in flooded rice soils. Whether C 2 H 4 affects the oxidation of NH 4 by the soil's nitrifying organisms and at what concentrations was the focus of this study. A Weld clay loam surface soil (fine, montmorillonitic, mesic Aridic Paleustoll) was treated with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , subjected to various partial pressures of C 2 H 4 and incubated at 30 °C. At designated incubation times, the atmospheres of the incubation flasks were analyzed for O 2 , CO 2 , and C 2 H 4 by gas chromatography (GC) and the soil was analyzed for NH 4 , and NO 3 plus NO 2 by steam‐distillation procedures. At a C 2 H 4 partial pressure of 0.017 kPa, NH 4 oxidation was similar to untreated samples. At a C 2 H 4 partial pressure of 0.17 kPa, NH 4 oxidation was partially inhibited and, at a C 2 H 4 partial pressure of 4.55 kPa, inhibition was nearly complete.