The mineralisation of nitrogen (N) under aerobic and anaerobic (waterlogged) conditions, and the microbial biomass carbon (C) content (using the substrate-induced respiration method) were measured in a range of plant litters, peats, and soils of moderate to low pH. The anaerobic incubation method appeared to be a more reliable indicator of the mineralisable N content of these samples than the aerobic method. The latter method sometimes gave an overall net decrease of inorganic N over the incubation period. There was a positive, highly significant, linear correlation between the microbial biomass C content and the amount of N mineralised anaerobically. The relationship between the microbial biomass C and the N mineralised by aerobic incubation was also positive, but showed greater variability. Both microbial biomass C and anaerobic N measurements were sensitive to previous changes in management from indigenous forestry to exotic forestry and grassland development. This suggests that these methods may be useful in assessing long-term fertility changes of the predominately acid forest and agricultural soils of New Zealand.
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