Biochemistry of nitrification in soil

Abstract

Methylamine and tri-methylamine when perfused through soil saturated with bacteria, show initial time lags in their rates of transformation into NO3-, which indicates that they are first attacked by other organisms than the nitrifiers. Urea and glycine are rapidly nitrified by bacteria-satd. soils but their courses are not quite linear, and probably undergo a preliminary transformation. Guanidine carbonate (0.005[image]), hydrazine (0.0025[image]) and hydroxylamine (0.005[image]) are nitrified with difficulty and inhibit conversion of NH4+ to NO3- in the soil. Pyruvic oxime (0.005[image]) is nitrified rapidly and does not inhibit nitrification of NH4+. Na pyruvate (0.005 [image]) not only eliminates the toxic effect of hydroxylamine but allows its own full nitrification.