Many studies have shown the importance of the soil microbial biomass, mainly as source/sink of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in forest stands. However, there are few studies focused on microbial P (MPH), especially in relation to the determination methods of MPH in these ecosystems. For an evaluation of the methods used to determine microbial P (MPH) in soils, three methods were evaluated: fumigation-extraction (FE); radiation with microwave-extraction (RE); and radiation by microwave-extraction with a membrane for anionic exchange (EMAE). […]

In an attempt to enhance the precision of chemical analyses of soil fertility and quantify different elements simultaneously, some laboratories have opted to use the technique of inductively coupled plasma for optical emission spectrometry (ICP) instead of the technique of Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS), which currently is the most commonly used in soil analysis laboratories. In this study we compared the precision of the two dosage techniques, their repeatability and the magnitude of the concentrations of the micronutrients Fe, Zn, […]