Long-term effects of different inorganic pollutants on nitrogen transformations in a sandy cambisol

Abstract

Long-term effects of 12 inorganic pollutants on N transformations were studied in a sandy cambisol. As, Be, Br, Cd, Cr, F, Pb, Hg, Se, Sn, and V were added to the soil as inorganic salts in 1975 and 1976. Soil samples were taken in 1984 to determine total N mineralisation and nitrification. All pollutants except Se and Sn inhibited N mineralisation. The most toxic elements under investigation were Be and Hg. Nitrification was reduced to a lower degree than total N mineralisation. As, Be, Cd, Cr, F, Pb, Se, and Sn failed to inhibit this process at all. It is assumed that nitrifying bacteria became adapted to these pollutants in the course of time. The arginine-ammonification method was less sensitive in detecting the effects of pollutants on N transformation than the N mineralisation test. © 1989 Springer-Verlag.