EFFECTS OF CATTLE-SLURRY TREATMENT ON THE MICROORGANISMS OF THE CARBON-CYCLES AND SULFUR-CYCLES IN THE SOIL

The addition of cattle slurry to the soil brings about an increase in the number of microorganisms of the carbon and sulfur cycles, though the levels attained do not exceed normal large population densities. The dynamics of the rise depend on the chemical and microbial composition of the slurry and the process by which it is incorporated into the soil. The aerobic cellulolytic and pectinolytic populations are favored in the long term, whereas the numbers of anaerobic cellulolytics and amylolytics increase rapidly on slurry treatment only to fall sharply shortly thereafter, and in the case of amylolytics these processes result in a net fall in population density.