Accumulation of Phosphatases in Soils

The relative amount of different phosphatases in twentyseven soils differing in their physical and chemical properties was determined. There was significant positive correlation of phosphatase activity with organic carbon, organic phosphorus and bacterial population but a negative relationship with soil pH. None of the soil phosphatases was found to be correlated with clay content and soil actinomycetes. The amount of acid phosphatase had significant correlation with fungal population. The different phosphatases were intercorrelated with each other to varying degrees. The regression of total soil phosphatases activity on the phosphatases showed that those with pH optima at 7.0 contributed most towards the total phosphatase activity in the soils.