Influence of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in rhizosphere and bulk soil

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 84; no. 1; pp. 182 - 186
• Main Authors: Kleineidam, Kristina, Košmrlj, Kristina, Kublik, Susanne, Palmer, Iris, Pfab, Helena, Ruser, Reiner, Fiedler, Sabine, Schloter, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Ammonia - analysis; Ammonia - metabolism; Ammonia-oxidizing archaea; Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; Arable soil; Archaea; Archaea - drug effects; Archaea - genetics; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria; Bacteria - drug effects; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - metabolism; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; Compartments; DMPP; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Inhibitors; Microbiology; Microorganisms; Nitrates - analysis; Nitrates - metabolism; Nitrification; Nitrification - drug effects; Nitrification inhibitor; Phosphates; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; Pyrazoles - toxicity; Quantitative real-time PCR; Rhizosphere; Soil (material); Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Soil science; Ammonia-oxidizing archaea; Quantitative real-time PCR; Nitrification inhibitor; DMPP; Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; Arable soil; Phosphates; Archaeobacteria; Real time; Polymerase chain reaction; Ammonia; Rhizosphere; Soils; Nitrification; Bacteria; Inhibitor
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.02.086

► We compared the effect of DMPP on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea. ► DMPP only affected the bacteria, whereas the archaea remained unaffected. ► This effect was observed in both, rhizosphere and bulk soil.
In agricultural plant production nitrification inhibitors like 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) are used to retard the microbial nitrification process of fertilized ammonium to enhance the nitrogen supply for cultivated crops and to reduce nitrogen losses from the production system. Besides the well-known ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) it is known for a few years that also ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are able to perform the first step in nitrification, hence being also a target for a nitrification inhibitor. However, so far no information are available concerning the effectiveness of DMPP and its extent towards AOB and AOA, neither in bulk soil nor in the root-rhizosphere complex. We investigated in a field experiment performed according to agricultural practice the effect of DMPP on the abundance of AOB and AOA two, four and eight weeks after fertilization. We observed impaired abundances of AOB but not of AOA in both soil compartments that were still visible eight weeks after application, possibly indicating a reduced effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor in our study.