CO2 release as an index of biological activity of cultivated soils.

In 15 soils from the region of Wielkopolska, estimations of CO2 release and bacterial biomass size were made. It follows from the present studies that CO2 release from the soil can be an index of its metabolic activity. It is necessary to take into consideration also the dynamics of that process in each type of soil and to determine the degree and time of its response to variation of ecological conditions. However, not always microbial numbers, particularly microbial biomass in the soil, may be a sufficient measure of the soil metabolic activity.