L-arginine application triggered soil hydrolytic activity for protein hydrolysis

Application of amino acids to soils is reportedly associated with controversial responses in soil enzyme activities. After a lag time, protease and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolysis increased in L-arginine-amended soils. After 30 days, the ratio of protease and FDA hydrolysis in L-arginine-amended soil samples to those in the control reached 3.7 and 2.0, respectively. It was concluded that L-arginine was able to stimulate protease and FDA hydrolysis, thereby making the soil hydrolytic system capable of facing more complicated substrates.