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Nitrogen Mineralization Potentials of Soils¹

ABSTRACT

Net mineralization of N in 39 widely differing soils was determined over a 30-week period at 35C, using incubation intervals of 2, 2, 4, 4, 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Mineral N was leached from the soils before the first incubation and following each of seven incubations by means of 0.01M CaCl₂ and a minus-N nutrient solution. Soil water contents were adjusted by applying suction (60 cm Hg), and losses of water during incubation under aerobic conditions were negligible. With most soils, cumulative net N mineralized was linearly related to the square root of time, t. The pH of soils changed very little in the course of 30 weeks' incubation. Because of the generally consistent results, the data were employed in calculating the N mineralization potential, N_o, of each soil, based on the hypothesis that rate of N mineralization was proportional to the quantity of N comprising the mineralizable substrate. Values of N_o ranged from about 20 to over 300 ppm of air-dry soil. The fraction of total N comprising N_o varied widely (5 to 40%) among soils. Mineralization rate constants did not differ significantly among most of the soils. The most reliable estimate of the rate constant, k was .054 ± .009 week^-1. The time required to mineralize one-half of N_o, t, was estimated to be 12.8 ± 2.2 weeks. Results suggest that the forms of organic N contributing to N_o were similar for most of the soils.

¹ Contribution from the US Soils Laboratory, Soil & Water Conservation Research Division, ARS, USDA, Beltsville, Md. 20705.

² Research Soil Scientists.

Received for publication July 14, 1971. Accepted for publication March 1, 1972.

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