Comparison of methods for soil microbial-population and biomass studies

A comparison was made of 15 different techniques which are used in assessing soil microbial populations and/or biomasses. These include direct observations (fungal standing crop, fluorescein diacetate active mycelia, acridine orange stained bacteria), cultural methods (bacterial plate counts), physiological methods (total microbial, bacterial and fungal biomasses, O2-uptake), soil enzyme analyses (dehydrogenase, catalase, alkaline and acid phosphatase, protease, amylase), and ATP-analyses.

The various techniques were applied to six soils known to have different microbial characteristics. The results are discussed with respect to the convertability of counts and measurements into microbial biomasses, the variability of the techniques, the correlations within comparable groups of methods, and the practical limitations in application of individual methods to different soils.