SPATIAL DIFFERENTIATION OF TOTAL NITROGEN CONTENT AND THE ACTIVITY OF N-TRANSFORMING ENZYMES IN A SOIL ZRÓ¯NICOWANIE PRZESTRZENNE ZAWARTOŒCI AZOTU OGÓ£EM ORAZ AKTYWNOŒCI ENZYMÓW PRZEMIAN AZOTU W GLEBIE

The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the spatial differentiation of total N (NTOT) content and urease (UR), nitrate reductase (NR) and arginine deaminase (ADA) activities in the surface horizon of Luvisol and Phaeozem of the Pomerania and Cuiavia region. 50 soil samples from both study areas were collected in April 2007 in a square sampling grid (90 × 40 m). The results were evaluated with the use of geostatistical methods. Spatial variability of the investigated parameters was evaluated by using empirical semivariograms with adjusted theoretical mathematical model of variograms. Raster maps of the studied properties were drawn. The concentration of chemical properties (TN, TOC, pHKCl) and the activity of UR and ADA was significantly higher in Phaeozem compared to Luvisol. Only the nitrate reductase activity was similar in samples of both types of soils. To characterise the spatial variability of the properties studied, spherical or mixed (spherical/linear) models with or without the nugget effect (only NR activity in Luvisol), were fitted to the calculated semivariograms. Total N content, NR activity in Phaeozem and ADA activity in Luvisol were in the strong variability class (the nugget effect < 25 %), while UR activity in both soil types and ADA activity in Phaeozem were situated in the moderate variability class (the nugget effect between 25 and 75 %). The ranges of influence calculated for properties studied ranged from 9.0 to 17 m. The raster maps showed that the distribution of each variable had a different pattern on the area studied. A specific variable was distributed in both topsoils in a different way.