Influence of Two Different Parent Materials and Plants on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Mineralization in a Mediterranean Climate

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate C and N mineralization of soils with Ceratonia siliqua (Fabaceae) and Pinus pinea (Pinaceae) growing on two different parent materials derived from conglomerate and marl in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Carbon (C) mineralization was measured with the CO2 respiration method at 28°C over 30 days. The nitrogen (N) mineralization was also measured in vitro both in the soils with the two parent materials of Ceratonia and Pinus under controlled conditions (42 days, 28°C and 80% of field capacity). There were significant differences between the two parent materials for both Ceratonia and Pinus in terms of the carbon mineralization ratio (%) in all sampling periods except for July 2012 for Ceratonia. These results might be clarified with the effects of different parent materials and plants. Interactions between incubation time, incubation time × plant were significant (P= 0.007 and P= 0.001 levels), respectively for the microbial respiration. The contents of NO3-N were higher than those of NH4- N in all soils. With these results it might be explained that environmental factors in both soils for NO3-N are quite suitable for the microbial activities of both Pinus and especially Ceratonia.