K. Schneider et al., Modified method for measuring acid phosphatase activities in forest soils with high organic matter content, COMM SOIL S, 31(19-20), 2000, pp. 3077-3088
The acid phosphatase activity (APA) is a key factor in phosphorus (P), mine
ralization, P nutrition of plants, and P cycling. However, the widely used
method of Tabatabai and Bremner for APA determinations is seriously restric
ted in soils with high organic matter contents, owing to interference in ph
otometric detection by dissolved organic matter. The objectives of this stu
dy were: a) to modify the procedure of Tabatabai and Bremner with a view to
its application to forest soils rich in organic carbon, b) to determine AP
A contents in forest soils of the Sierra de Gata mountains, and c) to estab
lish relationships between the APA with different soil parameters. The modi
fied procedure was well adapted to forest soils with high organic matter co
ntents and had good reproducibility, while maintaining the relative simplic
ity and accuracy of the original Tabatabai and Bremner procedure. APA in th
e forest soils studied was high but did not correlate with labile P. The AP
A in the soils studied depended principally on availability of readily degr
adable energy sources and soil nitrogen(N).