Teaching Organic Farming and Gardening

Soil Biology and Ecology

Unit 2.3 | 37

Hands-On Exercise:

Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization

for students

Overview

A major function of the soil food web is

to convert organic matter into forms of

nutrients that plants can use. The follow-

ing is an exercise to estimate how much

mineral N (nitrate and ammonium) is

coming from organic inputs. This exer-

cise is a simplification of organic matter

composition and the complex processes

that occur during decomposition. Use it

as a learning aid.

(based on material from the UC Davis Sustainable
Agriculture Farming Systems project)

scenariO

In one year, 12,000kg per hectare* of organic
matter (dry weight) are added to the soil of an
organic farm. These materials include cover
crop residues, manure, and crop residues form
the previous year. Overall, carbon (C) accounts
for roughly half the weight of the added
organic matter.

ten percent of the organic matter consists of
resistant structural components (e.g., lignin
in plant cell walls) that cannot be degraded by
soil microorganisms. This fraction has a very
high C:N ratio (100:1 or higher). It becomes
part of the soil organic matter, thereby in-
creasing structure and water-holding capacity
of the soil.

sixty percent of the organic matter consists
of cell components (such as cellulose) that are
moderately decomposable by soil microor-
ganisms. The 60% fraction has a relatively high
C:N ration of 40:1. During decomposition of
this fraction, microbes must respire 90% of the
C (as CO 2 ) in order to incorporate 10% of the

C into their cells. Similarly, microbes incorporate only 10% of the N

from this fraction, so that the remaining 90% is released as mineral

N. (Remember that soil microbes typically have adequate levels of

N, but they are starved for C.)

thirty percent of the organic matter consists of cell tissue com-

ponents such as sugars, amino acids, and lipids, which are eas-

ily decomposable by soil microorganisms. The C:N ratio of this

fraction is 20:1. Since microbes are more efficient in utilizing these

compounds, they incorporate 20% of the C and give off only 80%

as CO 2. Microbes also incorporate 20% of the N from this fraction,

while releasing 80% as mineral N.

tHe PrObLeM

your task is to calculate how much nitrogen is mineralized, in

order to determine if the amount of N will be adequate for crop

production. Fill in the blanks in the chart on the next page with

approximate amounts of C and N. Use the chart to calculate how

much mineral N is released from the organic matter added over

the course of one year.

*Equivalent to about 5.4 tons per acre

Hands-On Exercise