Summary
Chitinase activity was determined by incubating a mixture of toluene-treated soil with 1% (w/w) colloidal chitin suspension for 18 h at 37°C and then, after dilution, assaying the amount of N-acetyl-glucosamine released. Maximal chitinase activity was observed at 45°C and optimal pH for enzymatic reaction was 5.0–5.5. Soil chitinase activity decreased with increasing soil depth and was significantly affected by crop cover and fertilization regime. Chitin added to soil stimulated chitinase activity. Enzyme activity was correlated with the soil fungal population but not with numbers of actinomycetes or bacteria. A specialized mycoflora was associated with chitin decomposition.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Aminoff D, Morgan W T J and Watkins 1952 Studies in immuno-chemistry II: The action of dilute alkali on the N-acetylhexosamines and the specific blood-group mucoids. Biochem. J. 51, 379–388.
Bremner J M and Mulvaney R L 1978 Urease activity in soils. pp 149–196.In Soil Enzymes. Ed R G Burns. Academic Press, NY.
Dixon M and Webb E C 1964 Enzymes. Academic Press. New York, NY, 950 p.
Godoy G, Rodríguez-Kábana R and Morgan-Jones G 1982 Parasitism ofHeterodera glycines andMeloidogyne arenaria by fungi isolated from cysts ofH. glycines. Nematropica 12, 111–119.
Kimura A 1965 Studies on the enzyme from the digestive tract ofHelix peliomphala. Purification and physico-chemical properties of the chitinase from the digestive tract ofHelix peliomphala. Shikoku Acta Med. 21, 866–879.
Kiss S, Dragan-Bularda M and Radulescu D 1978 Soil polysaccharidases: activity and agricultural importance pp 117–147.In Soil Enzymes. Ed. R G Burns. Academic Press, NY.
Ladd J N 1978 Origin and range of enzymes in soil. pp 51–96.In Soil Enzymes. Ed, R G Burns. Academic Press, NY.
Lingappa Y and Lockwood J L 1962 Chitin media for selective isolation and culture of actinomycetes. Phytopathology 52, 317–323.
Mankau R and Das S 1969 The influence of chitin amendments onMeloidogyne incognita. J. Nematol. 1, 15–16. (Abstr.).
Mian I H, Godoy G, Shelby R A, Rodríguez-Kábana R and Morgan-Jones G 1982 Chitin amendments for control ofMeloidogyne arenaria in infested soil. Nematropica 12, 71–84.
Mitchell R and Alexander M 1962 Microbiological processes associated with the use of chitin for biological control. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 26, 556–558.
Muzzarelli R A 1977 Chitin. Pergamon Press, New York, NY. 309 p.
Rodríguez-Kábana R 1982 The effects of crop rotation and fertilization of soil xylanase activity in a soil of the southeastern United States. Plant and Soil 64, 237–247.
Rodríguez-Kábana R and Truelove B 1982 Effects of crop rotation and fertilization on catalase activity in a soil of the southeastern United States. Plant and Soil 69, 97–104.
Skujins J 1978 History of abiontic soil, enzyme research. pp 1–49.In Soil Enzymes. Ed. R G Burns. Academic Press, NY. 380p.
Smith R E and Rodríguez-Kábana R 1982 The extraction and assay of soil trehalase. Plant and Soil 65, 335–344.
Steel R G D and Torrie J D 1960 Principles and Procedures of Statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, NY, 481 pp.
Veldkamp H 1955 A Study of the Aerobic Decomposition of Chitin by Microorganisms. Meded. Landbouwhogesch. Wageningen 55, 127–174.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodriguez-Kabana, R., Godoy, G., Morgan-Jones, G. et al. The determination of soil chitinase activity: Conditions for assay and ecological studies. Plant Soil 75, 95–106 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02178617
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02178617