An inter-laboratory comparison of gaseous and liquid fumigation based methods for measuring microbial phosphorus (Pmic) in forest soils with differing P stocks

Fabian Bergkemper; Else K Bünemann; Simon Hauenstein; Christine Heuck; Ellen Kandeler; Jaane Krüger; Sven Marhan; Éva Mészáros; Dinah Nassal; Pascal Nassal; Yvonne Oelmann; Chiara Pistocchi; Michael Schloter; Marie Spohn; Ulrike Talkner; Dan P Zederer; Stefanie Schulz

doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2016.07.006

An inter-laboratory comparison of gaseous and liquid fumigation based methods for measuring microbial phosphorus (Pmic) in forest soils with differing P stocks

J Microbiol Methods. 2016 Sep:128:66-68. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.07.006. Epub 2016 Jul 12.

Authors

Fabian Bergkemper¹, Else K Bünemann², Simon Hauenstein³, Christine Heuck⁴, Ellen Kandeler⁵, Jaane Krüger⁶, Sven Marhan⁵, Éva Mészáros⁷, Dinah Nassal⁵, Pascal Nassal⁵, Yvonne Oelmann³, Chiara Pistocchi⁷, Michael Schloter⁸, Marie Spohn⁴, Ulrike Talkner⁹, Dan P Zederer⁹, Stefanie Schulz¹

Affiliations

¹ Research Unit Environmental Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
² Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Eschikon 33, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland; Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, Switzerland.
³ Geoecology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstrasse 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany.
⁴ Department of Soil Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University Bayreuth, Dr.-Hans-Frisch-Straße 1-3, 95448 Bayreuth, Germany.
⁵ Institute of Soil Science and Land Evaluation, Soil Biology Department, University of Hohenheim, Emil-Wolff-Str. 27, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany.
⁶ Chair of Soil Ecology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Bertoldstr. 17, 79085 Freiburg i. Br., Germany.
⁷ Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Eschikon 33, 8315 Lindau, Switzerland.
⁸ Research Unit Environmental Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany. Electronic address: schloter@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
⁹ Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Grätzelstraße 2, 37079 Göttingen, Germany.

PMID: 27422116
DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2016.07.006

Abstract

In an inter-laboratory trial, gaseous ("CFE") and liquid fumigation ("Resin") based methods for measuring microbial phosphorus (Pmic) were compared, based on the analysis of soil samples from five forests, which differ in their P stocks. Both methods reliably detected the same Pmic gradient in the different soils. However, when the individual recovery rates of spiked P were taken into account, the "CFE" based methods consistently generated higher Pmic values (factor 2) compared to the "Resin" based approaches.

Keywords: Forest soils; Gaseous fumigation; Liquid fumigation; Microbial biomass; Microbial phosphorus.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Forests*
Fumigation*
Gases*
Phosphorus / analysis*
Soil / chemistry
Soil Microbiology*

Substances

Gases
Soil
Phosphorus