Summary
Nitrapyrin and C2H2 were evaluated as nitrification inhibitors in soil to determine the relative contributions of denitrification and nitrification to total N2O production. In laboratory experiments nitrapyrin, or its solvent xylene, stimulated denitrification directly or indirectly and was therefore considered unsuitable. Low partial pressures of C2H2 (2.5–5.0 Pa) inhibited nitrification and had only a small effect on denitrification, which made it possible to estimate the contribution of denitrification. The contribution of nitrification was estimated by subtracting the denitrification value from total N2O production (samples without C2H2). The critical C2H2 concentrations needed to achieve inhibition of nitrification, without affecting the N2O reductase in denitrifiers, must be individually determined for each set of experimental conditions.
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Klemedtsson, L., Svensson, B.H. & Rosswall, T. A method of selective inhibition to distinguish between nitrification and denitrification as sources of nitrous oxide in soil. Biol Fert Soils 6, 112–119 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257659
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00257659