Impact of short-term acidification on nitrification and nitrifying bacterial community dynamics in soilless cultivation media.

ABSTRACT: Soilless medium-based horticulture systems are highly prevalent due to their capacity to optimize growth of high-cash crops. However, these systems are highly dynamic and more sensitive to physiochemical and pH perturbations than traditional soil-based systems, especially during nitrification associated with ammonia-based fertilization. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of nitrification-generated acidification on ammonia oxidation rates and nitrifying bacterial community dynamics in soilless growth media. To achieve this goal, perlite soilless growth medium from a commercial bell pepper greenhouse was incubated with ammonium in bench-scale microcosm experiments. Initial quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that betaproteobacterial ammonia oxidizers were signific

SUBMITTER: Cytryn E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3426717 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature