[Quantitative study of biological denitrification in soils with the aid of acetylene. II.--Evolution of inhibitory effect of acetylene on N2O-reductase; influence of acetylene on denitrification rate and on nitrate immobilisation (author's transl)].

Study of kinetics of nitrate or nitrite disappearance in soils incubating with atmosphere with or without acetylene, shows that the presence of this gas increases the rate of nitrate or nitrite reduction, and therefore very probably the denitrification process. The decrease of inhibitory effect on N2O-reductase after incubation during 15 days appears to be due to a great extent at a biological transformation of this gas with a consecutive increase of CO2 production. On the other hand, acetylene does not seem to affect perceptibly nitrate immobilisation.