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Role of nitrification and denitrification for NO metabolism in soil

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Abstract

Release and uptake of NO was measured in a slightly alkaline (pH 7.8) and an acidic (pH 4.7) cambisol. In the alkaline soil under aerobic conditions, NO release was stimulated by ammonium and inhibited by nitrapyrin. Nitrate accumulated simultaneously and was also inhibited by nitrapyrin.15NO was released after fertilization with15NH4NO3 but not with NH4 15NO3. The results indicate that in aerobic alkaline cambisol NO was mainly produced during nitrification of ammonium. The results were different under anaerobic conditions and also in the acidic cambisol. There, NO release was stimulated by nitrate and not by ammonium, and was inhibited by chlorate and not by nitrapyrin indicating that NO production was exclusively due to reduction of nitrate. The results were confirmed by15NO being released mainly from NH4 15NO3 rather than from15NH4NO3. The observed patterns of NO release were explained by the NO production processes being stimulated by either ammonium or nitrate in the two different soils, whereas the NO consumption processes being only stimulated by nitrate. NO release was larger than N2O release, but both were small compared to changes in concentrations of soil ammonium or nitrate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Konstanz, Fakultät für Biologie, P.O. Box 5560, D-7750, Konstanz, Germany

    Armim Remde & Ralf Conrad

  2. Fraunhofer Institut für Atmosphärische Umweltforschung, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

    Armim Remde

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  1. Armim Remde
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  2. Ralf Conrad
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Remde, A., Conrad, R. Role of nitrification and denitrification for NO metabolism in soil. Biogeochemistry 12, 189–205 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00002607

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