Utilization of sup(32)P fixed in iron oxides and aluminium oxides for soil microbial biomass

The availability of P fixed in oxi-hydroxides of Fe and of Al for the microbial biomass of a P-deficient soil, was determined following addition of C sources. These oxides were impregnated in a support matrix of filter paper strips and then equilibrated with a P solution (1.5 * 1- sup(-5) M) containing sup(32)P. The strips where then incubated with soil without (control) or with additions of glicose+N (70 hs) or celulose+N (3 weeks), and the CO sub(2) evolved measured. After the incubation, the strips with Fe and Al incubated with soil+glicose had 0.004 and 0.008 μmoles cm sup(-2) of P less than the controls, respectively. Biomass activity dessorbed 100 to 200 more P than an exchange resin. The Fe strips incubated with soil+celulose dessorbed 0.002 μmoles cm sup(-2) more P than the control, while the Al ones did not differ from the control. In this last case, only about 50% of the cellulose had been decomposed, compared to approximately 85% of the cellulose in contact with the Fe strips. (author)