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Dissolved organic nitrogen and nitrate in an acid forest soil

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Abstract

Water was sampled from an acid forest soil 1 year after a Sitka spruce crop had been clear-felled. In samples extracted using porous ceramic cups, total dissolved nitrogen varied according to depth from 2.6 to 3.6 mg.l−1. In the organic horizons, dissolved nitrogen was mainly in organic form. As it passed down the profile, it was progressively transformed to nitrate. Nitrification was obviously active in this acid soil. The role of dissolved organic nitrogen should not be underestimated in nutrient cycling studies.

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Stevens, P.A., Wannop, C.P. Dissolved organic nitrogen and nitrate in an acid forest soil. Plant Soil 102, 137–139 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02370915

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02370915

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