APLICATION OF 13C LABELLING TECHNIQUE TO SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION

Owing to the concern of its radioactivity by human being, radioactive 14C labelling technique used to study the turnover of organic materials added to soils has gradually been replaced by stable isotope 13C labelling technique since 1980s. The two advantages of stable isotope 13C labelling technique have been recognized. Firstly, much time and cost spent on labelling can be saved while real in-situ study can be attained if we choose naturally labeling materials obtained with the help of discrimination of different plants between 13C and 14C . Secondly, enrichment of 13C and 15N and their combination with NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy can help us study not only the dynamics of decomposition of organic materials but also the changes of their chemical structures during the turnover of the organic materials, which can provide more information in clarifying the C and N cycling and humification of the organic materials applied to soils. The paper gives a brief review on the application of 13C labelling technique to soil science and plant nutrition, in which some key notes are devoted. Therefore, the paper will prove very useful in initiating the related research work in China.