Effect of Potassium and C/N Ratios on Conversion of NH+4 in Soils

Abstract Two soils, one consisting of 1:1 clay minerals at pH 4.5 and the other containing 2:1 clay minerals at pH 7.0, were used to estimate the conversion of added NH + 4 under different C/N ratios (glucose as the C source) and the addition of potassium. Under lower C/N ratios (0:1 and 5:1), a large part of the added NH + 4 in the acid soil was held in the forms of either exchangeable or water soluble NH + 4 for a relatively long time and under higher C/N ratio (50:1), a large amount of the added NH + 4 was directly immobilized by microorganisms. In the second soil containing appreciable 2:1 type clay minerals a large part of the added NH + 4 at first quickly entered the interlayer of the minerals under both lower and higher C/N ratios. In second condition, however, owing to microbial assimilation stimulated by glucose the newly fixed NH + 4 could be completely released in further incubation because of a large concentration gradient between external NH + 4 and fixed NH + 4 in the mineral interlayer caused by heterotrophic microorganisms, which imply the fixed NH + 4 to be available to plants. The results also showed that if a large amount of K+ with carbon source together was added to soil, the higher K+ concentration of soil solution could impede the release of fixed NH + 4 , even if there was a lot of carbon source.