Denitrification potential in a grassland subsoil: effect of carbon substrates

We examined the potential of a subsoil to denitrify nitrate under optimal anaerobic conditions in a laboratory-based incubation when supplied with a range of C substrates of increasing recalcitrance. Both topsoil and its associated subsoil were supplied with nitrate and either glucose, starch or cellulose. Microbial respiration and the evolution of N2O and N2 were measured. The subsoil supported low amounts of microbial activity and responded only to the glucose treatment; with less than one-fifth of the N2O production measured in the top soil. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the denitrification potential of this particular subsoil is relatively low and that only simple carbohydrates could be utilised readily by the resident microorganisms.