Short communicationCellulolytic microorganisms control the availability of nitrogen in microcosm of shredded pruning litter treated highly acidic tea-growing soils of Assam in Northeast India

- Shredded prunings enhanced nitrogen content in soil under controlled study.
- Application at 10 t ha−1 was the best treatment enhancing NO3-N by 70 mg kg−1 soil.
- Cellulolytic microorganisms synergistically influenced NO3-N content in soil.
- Cellulase activity was significantly correlated to the NO3-N content in soil.

Pruning (cutting the tea bushes from top) generates huge amount of organic residues in tea gardens and total nitrogen (N) content in those pruning litters is more than 10.0 mg g−1. However, the hard nature of those pruning litters limits its application as an organic amendment in soil. In this study, soil was incubated with shredded pruning litters to evaluate their effect on N availability in soil. The study indicated that pruning incorporation at 10 t ha−1 increased (P ≤ 0.05) nitrate-N content in soil and the values nitrate-N were proportional to cellulase activity and the population of culturable cellulolytic microorganisms in soil. Cellulolytic microorganisms possibly play a key role to degrade shredded prunings, which in turn enhanced nitrate-N content in soil by hastening the mineralization of organic compounds of prunings.