Complementary Enzymes Activities in Organic Phosphorus Mineralization in Soils.

Recycling of phosphorus (P) occurs through the turnover of biological tissues and the mineralization of organic P in its environment.  The process is mediated by phosphohydrolases released by plant roots, soil microorganisms, or arbuscular mycorrhizal associations. So are other catabolic enzymes.  As P occurs in biological macromolecules along with carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), incubation and extraction studies were conducted with phosphohydrolases and enzymes of the C and N cycles to determine the potential availability of soil organic P forms in two soils and manures of dairy cattle and poultry.  While phosphohydrolases were primarily responsible for the dephosphorylation of soil organic P, the combination of glucosidases and proteases were complementary and improved the accessibility of P substrates. Therefore, the solubilization of organic P by ligands and complementary enzymes is crucial to the function of extracellular phosphohydrolases in accessing recalcitrant soil organic P pools.