Anaerobic soil incubation experiments

In the absence of any one standardized method, many investigators have used laboratory batch incubation of wetland soils and aquatic sediments and measured ammonium production as a measure of nitrogen mineralization rates (Wang et al., 2001 White and Reddy, 2001) (Figure 8.20). These methods range from simple batch incubation experiments in which ammonium accumulation is measured over time to stable isotope dilution technique in which soil cores or anaerobic soil slurries are injected with N-labeled ammonium nitrogen. This method allows to estimate both gross and net mineralization rates (Blackburn, 1979). 

In a 56-d experiment, [ C]4-chloroaniline applied to soil-water suspensions under aerobic and anaerobic conditions gave C02 yields of 3.0 and 2.3%, respectively (Scheunert et al, 1987). Silage samples (chopped corn plants) containing 4-chloroaniline were incubated in an anaerobic... 

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