APPLE, Graphic: Regina Stoltenburg/UFZ, created with BioRender.com

APPLE

Development and maintenance of the Analytic Pipe Line of Soil Eco-indicators (APPLE) based on biomass, respiration, growth, enzymes, biomolecules, isotopes, stoichiometry, energy and C use efficiency.

Research focus

The pipeline APPLE provides an analytic monitoring of main chemical and biological soil properties for:

  • Field Experimental Platforms of UFZ:
    • Global Change Experimental Facility (GCEF) and Static Fertilization Experiment in Bad Lauchstädt
    • Phytoakmeter, MyDi, iDiv
  • Internal consortia:
    • PhD Cohort 2022 GLIMPSE "Global change impacts on microbiota-plant-soil processes relevant for water and matter cycling in agricultural ecosystems"
  • Third-party Projects:
    • DFG-SPP2089 Rhizosphere / subproject: Microzym
    • DFG-SPP2322 Soil Systems / subproject: Microheat
    • BBZE-Wald (Biologische Bodenzustandserhebung deutscher Wälder) / subproject: Biodiversity and ecological functions of soil fungi and bacteria

Analytic Tools

New analytic tools developed by APPLE

  • Analysis of microbial C, N and P by chloroform fumigation technique
  • Microbial growth kinetics (Substrate Induced Growth Respiration - SIGR)
  • 13CO2-C precipitation & purification for IRMS analysis
  • Calorespirometric analyses of heat release from soil
  • Characteristic of soil organic matter by FTIR analysis
  • Eco-physiological indexes of soil quality: qCO2, Cmic:Corg, calorespirometric ratio
  • Enzyme kinetics by Michaelis-Menten approach
  • Aminography – visualization of organic N in soil and in the rhizosphere
  • Zymography for hydrolytic enzymes
  • Zymography for oxidative enzymes
  • Microzymography for hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes

Elemental Analyzer, Elementar Analysensysteme GmbH. Photo: UFZ
Elemental Analyzer
Fluorescence Microplate Reader, TECAN Infinite F200 PRO. Photo: UFZ
TECAN Infinite F200 PRO, Fluorescence Microplate Reader

Basic analytic tools supported by APPLE

  • Total and inorganic C content in soil
  • Dissolved organic C content in soil
  • Total N content in soil
  • Mineral N forms (ammonium, nitrate) in soil
  • Available P and K
  • Basal and Substrate Induced Respiration (SIR)
  • Biomarkers: ergosterol, amino acids, amino sugars
Moisture Analyzer, KERN. Photo: UFZ
Moisture Analyzer, KERN
Analytical Balance, Sartorius. Photo: UFZ
Analytical Balance, Sartorius
pH Meter SevenEasy, Mettler Toledo. Photo: UFZ
pH Meter SevenEasy, Mettler Toledo

Platform data

  • Location: UFZ Halle, Department of Soil Ecology
  • Platform type: analysis lab, analytical pipeline
  • Research groups involved: members of the Department of Soil Ecology at UFZ Halle, technical support: Yvonne Eckstein, Jacqueline Rose, Gabriele Henning