The soil microbial biomass is an essential component of most terrestrial ecosystems because it is responsible for regulating nutrient cycling, and acts as a highly labile source of plant-available nutrients. | Turk J Agric For 31 (2007) 181-187 © TÜB‹TAK Impact of Alkaline Dust Pollution on Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon Ömer KARA, ‹lyas BOLAT Department of Forestry, Zonguldak Karaelmas University, 74100 Bart›n - TURKEY Received: Abstract: The effect of alkaline dust pollution emitted from Bart›n cement plant on the soil microbial biomass carbon was investigated using the chloroform fumigation-extraction (CFE) method. Microbial biomass C (Cmic) values ranged from to -1 -1 µg g soils in the polluted area and from to µg g soils in the control area. Soils polluted with alkaline cement dust resulted in significant reductions in Cmic levels compared to control soils. Microbial biomass C correlated negatively with CaCO3 content (r = , P < ) and positively with soil organic C (r = , P < ). Cmic:Corg ratio proved to be a reliable soil microbial parameter for describing the change in the man-made ecosystem. Mean Cmic:Corg ratio was and in the polluted soils and control soils, respectively. The decrease in this ratio was an indication of soil degradation in the polluted soils. A significant decline in the Cmic:Corg ratio in cement dust-polluted soils also indicated that this parameter can serve as a good indicator of soil health. Key Words: Microbial biomass C, cement dust pollution, Cmic:Corg ratio, soil health Alkalen Partikül Kirlili¤inin Toprak Mikrobiyal Biomas Karbon ‹çeri¤ine Etkisi Özet: Bu çal›flmada, kloroform fumigasyon-ekstraksiyon yöntemi (CFE) kullan›larak Bart›n çimento fabrikas›ndan yay›lan alkalen partiküllerin toprak mikrobiyal biomas karbon içeri¤ine etkisi araflt›r›lm›flt›r. Mikrobiyal biomas C (Cmic) de¤erleri; kirli alanda µg g-1, kontrol alan›nda µg g-1 aras›nda de¤iflim göstermektedir. Kirli alandaki topraklar kontrole göre istatistiksel olarak daha düflük Cmic içeri¤ine sahiptir. Topraklar›n mikrobiyal biomas C içeri¤i; CaCO3 miktar› ile negatif (r = , P <
