Biomass and activity of denitrifying bacteria in soddy-podzolic soils uponthe application of mineral fertilizers

The biomass and activity of denitrifying bacteria in soddy-podzolic soils t reated with mineral fertilizer have been determined at several plots with d ifferent fertilizer backgrounds (organic, mineral, and organomineral). The rate of N2O emission increased two times upon applying mineral fertilizer a nd was at its maximum on the mineral background. The influence of different ecological factors (the biomass of denitrifying bacteria, the content of m ineral nitrogen and organic substances, and the degree of soil cultivation) on the amounts of gaseous losses of nitrogen during denitrification was ex amined.