Abstract
A study was conducted on samples of an alkali Solonetz and a Solodic soil that occur in close proximity in the field to determine if factors other than the quantity of nitrogen might be responsible for the difference in the ability of the two soils to provide nitrogen to crops. The effect of altering the C/N ratio, heating, and the addition of nitrogenous compounds on nitrogen mineralization and CO2 evolution from A horizon samples was studied.Added sucrose stimulated the evolution of CO3 in the alkali Solonetz samples but added ammonium sulphate had no appreciable effect on the evolution of CO2. Heat caused a direct release of ammonium-nitrogen even from air-dry samples, and preheating caused a marked increase in ammonification during subsequent incubation. Both ammonification and nitrification took place quite effectively in samples of the alkali Solonetz soil to which a relatively simple organic nitrogen compound was added.The factor limiting nitrogen mineralization in alkali Solonetz soil appears to be the lack of readily decomposable organic nitrogen compounds.
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