Correlation between humification and the oxidase activity of the causative micro-organisms

✍ Scribed by Sundman, Veronica

• Book ID: 104762812
• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1970
• Weight: 511 KB
• Volume: 72
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-9276
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00411012

✦ Synopsis

Decomposition of finely ground barley straw at 28~ was followed for 250 days in vessels which had been inoculated with mixed bacterial isolates of known oxidase activity derived from a sample of barley field soil. The artificial bacterial populations selected consisted of either 1) isolates which reacted positively in a number of oxidase tests, 2) isolates which gave negative responses in the same tests, or 3) these two groups in combination. For comparison, a suspension of the soil from which the bacterial isolates were derived was also used as an alternative inocuium. It was shown that the oxidase-neg~tive b~c~cria were more effective than the exidase~positive ones in the production of humic substance, and in decreasing the carbohydrate content of the straw.