Means and standard errors (n = 4) of biological parameters measured in soil (0 to 15 cm) of biodynamic and organic plots in the fall 2002.
| Soil biological propertya | Biodynamic | Organic |
|---|---|---|
| aAbbreviations: TPF: triphenyl formazan; RMC: readily mineralizable carbon; BR: basal respiration; SIR: substrate-induced respiration. | ||
| Dehydrogenase (μg TPF/g soil) | 1.32 ± 0.24 | 1.30 ± 0.12 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (μg p-nitrophenol/g soil) | 110 ± 8.0 | 114 ± 9.0 |
| Acid phosphatase (μg p-nitrophenol/g soil) | 116 ± 9.0 | 137 ± 19.0 |
| Readily mineralizable C (RMC) (μg C/g soil/10 d) | 42.74 ± 3.63 | 41.60 ± 8.34 |
| Microbial respiration (BR) (μg C/g soil/h) | 0.91 ± 0.02 | 0.97 ± 0.04 |
| Microbial biomass (SIR) (μg C/g soil) | 466 ± 19.0 | 494 ± 19.0 |
| Nitrate-N (μg/g soil) | 6.36 ± 0.45 | 6.25 ± 1.25 |
| Ammonium-N (μg/g soil) | 1.95 ± 0.33 | 1.05 ± 0.20 |
| Aerobic N mineralization (μg NH4+ -N/g soil) | 30.25 ± 1.59 | 30.31 ± 2.72 |
| Potential nitrification (μg NO3+ -N/g soil) | 154.42 ± 1.22 | 157.35 ± 2.04 |
| Earthworms/m2 in top 20 cm | 267 ± 47.0 | 192 ± 3.0 |
| Dehydrogenase/RMC | 0.032 ± 0.007 | 0.037 ± 0.010 |
| Dehydrogenase/BR | 0.432 ± 0.235 | 0.364 ± 0.167 |
| Dehydrogenase/SIR | 0.003 ± 0.001 | 0.003 ± 0.000 |
| SIR/RMC | 11.05 ± 0.71 | 13.66 ± 2.98 |