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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145123

Title: POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF LYSED BACTERIAL CELLS TO PHOSPHORUS SOLUBILISATION IN TWO REWETTED AUSTRALIAN PASTURE SOILS

Author
item Turner, Benjamin
item DRIESSEN, JENNIFER - MONASH UNIV., AUSTRALIA
item HAYGARTH, PHILIP - INST. GRASS. ENV. RES.,UK
item MCKELVIE, IAN - MONASH UNIV., AUSTRALIA

Submitted to: Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/29/2002
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Considerable amounts of organic phosphorus are released when dry soils are rewet, which may make phosphorus available to plants and drainage water. Using direct bacterial cell counting in water two Australian pasture soils, we found that almost all visible microbial cells were lysed following the rewetting of dry soils. The amounts of phosphorus in the lysed cells corresponded closely to the increases in water-extractable phosphorus following soil drying, suggesting that bacterial cell lysis is a major source of the released phosphorus.

Technical Abstract: Soil drying renders considerable amounts of phosphorus soluble upon rewetting, which may be partly derived from lysed microbial cells. Using direct bacterial cell counting in water and tetra-sodium pyrophosphate extracts of two Australian pasture soils, we found that almost all extractable cells were lysed following the rewetting of dry soils. The amounts of phosphorus in the lysed cells corresponded closely to the increases in water-extractable phosphorus following soil drying, suggesting that bacterial cell lysis is a major source of the released phosphorus.