Abstract
A desk study was made on N mineralization of various organic materials. Data were obtained from the literature containing information on mineralized organic N, C/N of the substrate and some index for decomposability. Per class of substrate decomposability, linear regression lines between N mineralization and substrate C/N were established, from which ‘apparent initial age’ and humification coefficient were calculated to indicate decomposability. For quantitative grading, a ‘resistance index’ was formulated comprising the concentrations of lignin and polyphenols. The results confirmed that the fraction of mineralized organic N is linearly related to substrate C/N for equally decomposable materials. The nature of the organic materials and the processes to which they had been subjected were reflected in the ranking by decomposability.
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Janssen, B.H. Nitrogen mineralization in relation to C:N ratio and decomposability of organic materials. Plant Soil 181, 39–45 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011290
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011290