Determination of ATP in soils: Effect of soil treatments

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry 1982, Vol.14 (3), p.273-279
• Main Authors: Ahmed, M., Oades, J.M., Ladd, J.N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: soil chemistry; soil physics; soil science
• ISSN: 0038-0717; 1879-3428
• DOI: 10.1016/0038-0717(82)90037-2

The adenosine triphosphate (ATP) contents of seven soil samples were determined after air-drying, freeze-drying, storage, incubation with glucose or water. The amount of ATP extracted was rapidly reduced after air-drying of the field moist soils, but a short period of wetting of the air-dried soils increased their ATP contents significantly. Addition of an ATP-uncoupler to the air-dried soils indicated that the additional amount of ATP extracted after wetting may not be due to synthesis during the wetting, but from some other processes. Freeze-drying of moist soils reduced the amounts of ATP extracted from soils to a lesser extent than air-drying. Storage of the freeze-dried soils at 25° and — 15°C led to substantial losses of ATP. Incubation of soils with and without glucose rapidly increased the ATP contents of soils, particularly those which had been air-dried previously. Biomass C: ATP ratios in two soils declined during the first few days of incubation and then became relatively constant as incubation proceeded, although significantly different for a loam and a clay soil.