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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Assessment of Labile Organic Carbon in Soil Using Sequential Fumigation Incubation Procedures
Published on: October 29, 2016
[Effect of straw pretreatment on soil microbial biomass and respiration activity]
Guitong Li1, Baogui Zhang, Baoguo Li
1College of Resource and Environment, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, China. lgtong@mail.cau.edu.cn
Abstract:
Winter wheat straw particles (0.5 ~ 2.0mm) were soaked with 8.0 g.L-1 H202(pH11.0), 12.5 g.L-1 Na0H or H2S04 solution for 8 h and dried at 80 degreeC. Soils amended with the pretreated straw and inorganic N were incubated aerobically at 25 degreeC for 60 days. The C02 emission rate and soil microbial biomass C and N were measured at different time. The results showed that during the earlier stage of incubation, the pretreatments of straw increased soil microbial biomass C by 1.0 ~ 1.4 folds, but decreased soil microbial respiration activity. During the later stage of incubation, the Na0H and H2S04 pretreated straw decreased soil microbial biomass carbon by 28% and 42%, respectively, while increased the soil microbial respiration activity. The straw pretreated by H202 increased soil microbial biomass nitrogen by 90% after the 15th day of incubation. The pretreatments of straw increased the fungi/bacteria ratio at different special time. It could be concluded that soil microbial biomass and respiration activity could be changed after the pretreated straw was added into the soil.

