ESSENTIAL FOOD SUBSTANCES IN SOIL

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Abstract
Sterile soil extracts were prepared from decomposing plant material and the influence of these upon the cellulose destroyers was determined. The extracts were tested in nutrient salt medium containing raw cotton and also on sterile alfalfa, barley, buckwheat and clover plants "plowed under" in sterile sand. Inoculations were from pure cultures of cellulose-destroying organisms. The essential food factor liberated becomes available for soil microorganisms and stimulates cellulose-destroyers both in growth and physiological efficiency. The stimulative effect is manifest during the early stages of the decomposition.