EFFECT OF PURIFIED PLANT TANNIN ON DECOMPOSITION OF SOME ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AND PLANT MATERIALS

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Abstract
Under the conditions of the experiments, purified wattle tannin underwent little decomposition in 3 weeks by a mixed soil population; most of the decomposition noted is ascribed to breakdown of associated non-tannins. Gelatin reacted with the tannin to produce a complex that was resistant to decomposition, and a nemin protein was inactivated. Maximum inactivation of gelatin was reached at a tannin-protein ratio of 1:1 and that of nemin at 1:4. Inhibition of decomposition of gelatin was somewhat greater at pH 4.0 than at 7.0. The tannin had little effect or no effect on decomposition of lysine. Decomposition of whole plant material from rye plants harvested at young, intermediate, and mature stages of growth was reduced approximately 50% by the tannin, and the percentage decomposition was similar for the 3 types of plant materials and for the 3 ratios of tannin:plant material of 1:4, 1:1, and 4:1, and in culture media having reactions of pH 4.0 and 7.0. Since the tannin effect was not correlated with the N content of the plant materials, it is believed to be due principally to causes other than the complexing of the plant proteins.

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