The Determination of Soil Microbial Biomass Carbon and Adenosine Triphosphate Concentrations at Different Temperatures

Freezing soil samples at subzero temperatures is a commonly employed preservation method in soil science to halt microbial activity and enzymatic processes, preserving the sample’s composition and structure. The concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the soil microbial biomass carbon content were determined from soil samples stored at +4 °C, −21 °C and −80 °C for 24 h, 7 days, and 20 days. The results showed that the ATP in the soil was not significantly affected by temperature or storage time. Larger differences were observed in the carbon content of microbial biomass, where the amount of this parameter increased by 14.2% after 20 days of the experiment.