Continuous flow method in soil microbiology

The continuous flow method, applied to the study of microbiological processes in soil samples, was used to study the biological immobilization of mineral forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. By means of this method, physical-chemical adsorption of mineral elements was differentiated from biological immobilization over a given period. Biological immobilization of nitrogen and phosphorus was related to the metabolic activity of the soil microflora. It was found that the amount of biological immobilization of nitrogen and phosphorus was closely associated with glucose decomposition. A correlation was found between the immobilization of nitrate nitrogen and carbon dioxide evolution during glucose decomposition and the amount of glucose utilized. The ratio of the amount of glucose carbon assimilated by the soil microflora to the amount of nitrogen immobilized depended on the C∶N ratio in the added solution.