Soil enzyme activity

H. Bolton, L. F. Elliott, R, I, Papendick, and D, F. Bezdicek, Soil microbial biomass and selected soil enzyme activities effect of fertilisation and cropping practices. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 17 291 (1985),... 

Assays of soil enzyme activities are usually carried out in soil slurries, since efficiencies of enzyme extraction from soil and purification are still low (49). Such assays, under these conditions, will only give a measure of potential rather than actual activities moreover, they constitute integrated measures of activity as enzymes come from a variety of sources and are in several states in the soil (50). Enzyme activities may vary substantially with the season according to the synthesis, release into soil, and persistence of plant, animal, and microbial enzymes (57). 

Bolton HJ, Elliot HLF, Papendick RI, Hezdicek DF (1985) Soil microbial biomass and selected soil enzyme activity effect of fertilization and cropping practices. Soil Biol Biochem 17 297-302 Brandt K (2007) Organic agriculture and food utilization. Proceedings of the International Conference on Organic Agriculture and Food Security 3-5 May 2007, FAO, Italy pp 2-30... 

Daroub SH, Ellis BG, Robertson GP (2001) Effect of cropping and low-chemical input systems on soil phosphoms fractions. Soil Sci 166 281-291 Dick RP, Breakwell DP, Turco RF (1996) Soil Enzyme Activities and Biodiversity Measurements as Integrative Microbiological Indicators. SSSA Special Pub 49 247-272... 

Elfstrand S, Hedlund K, Martensson A (2007) Soil enzyme activities, microbial community composition and function after 47 years of continuous green manuring. Appl Soil Ecol 35 610-621... 

Figure 14.8. Thermograms for the volatilization of peptide-derived compounds in freeze-dried rhizodeposits leached from a soil cropped with maize after a daytime and a nighttime growth period and thermogram for the volatilization of L-glutamic acid. Reprinted from Leinweber, P., Jandl, G., Baum, C., Eckhardt, K.-U., and Kandeler, E. (2008). Stability and composition of soil organic matter control respiration and soil enzyme activities. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40,1496-1505, with permission from Elsevier.

Figure 2. Soil enzyme activity in soils treated with alachlor at a rate 100 ppm,amended with corn, soybean, or soybean+N, and inoculated with fungal isolate CCF-1.

F. Holz, Automatic, Continuous-Flow, Photometric Determination of Soil Enzyme Activities by the Use of (Enzyme) Oxidative Coupling Reactions. Part 1. Determination of Catalase Activity [in German]. Landwirtsch. Forsch., 39 (1986) 139. 

Dick, R. R 1994. Soil enzyme activities as indicators of soil quality. In J. W. Doran, D. C. Coleman, D. F. Bezdick, and B. A. Stewart (eds.) Defining Soil Quality for a Sustainable Environment. SSSA Book Series No. 35. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. pp. 107-124. 

The responses of soil enzymes activities to pollutant exposure could be used to evaluate the soil microbial properties. Enzyme activity was widely used to monitor soil pollution and remediation process I . Catalase in the soil can undermine the hydrogen peroxide which was toxic to the organisms. Catalase could be induced by environmental harmful factors, and the activity status reflects the stress situation of the environment to some extent P . 

Activation energies and kinetic constants (Km, Vmax) were calculated for inorganic pyrophosphatases in several soils. Some residual activity remained after steam sterilization and formaldehyde treatment of soils. Enzyme activities were significantly correlated with organic C of soil profiles, and with organic C and clay contents of acidic top soils ". ... 

Although soil enzyme activities do not consistently correlate with the numbers of microorganisms in soil, or with soil respiratory activities, the contributions from enzymes of microbial origin are considered to be of great importance, and are enhanced under conditions favouring microbial growth and turnover. 

The persistence of soil enzymes active against low molecular weight substrates only is less predictable in that reactions may be catalysed solely by intracellular enzymes, or partly by intracellular and partly by exocellular (abiontic) enzymes. Activities by exocellular enzymes may be less dependent on energy source availability because of contributions from accumulated, protected enzymes. 

Bandick, A. K. Dick, R. P. Field management effects on soil enzyme activities. Soil Biol. Biochem. 1999,31,1471-1479. 

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