THE PREERENTIAL UTILIZATION OF DIFFERENT FORMS OF INORGANIC NITROGEN IN THE DECOMPOSITION OF PLANT MATERIALS

Abstract

When straw is in contact with both ammoniacal and nitric N in equal initial concentration under conditions favorable for decomposition, the organisms concerned in the earlier stages of breakdown prefer NH3 to nitrate. After 14 days there is no apparent preference for either form. When nitrate is present, there is always a loss of N which may be 30% more than with NH3 alone in equal original concentration.