Dear All

This is what is called throwing an idea up in the air....
We all know the studies on organic matter with 13C  either using labeled or
unlabelled residues. The first being restricted to C4 added to C3 soils or
vice versa. The second being restricted to having to label with big chambers
etc. I know that 18O in H2O exchanges with CO2, but is it at such a rate it
would preclude its use for organic matter studies (am I just to lazy to go
and work this out??? ask a whole bunch of experts instead!!! ). Do you think
there is any mileage in watering plants with 18O enriched water and using
them for subsequent organic matter studies, looking at the 18O in the CO2,
left in the soil etc.
I suppose even if it is feasible it may be prohibitively expensive....
Is there anything out there on this or is just such a non-starter????
The information age is great, thanks again isogeochem....

Dr Rebecca Hood
Soil Science Unit
FAO/IAEA  Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory,
IAEA Laboratories
A-2444 Seibersdorf
Austria
Tel 00 43 1 2600 28271
Fax 00 43 1 2600 28222

http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa <http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa>

http://www.fao.org <http://www.fao.org>
Symposium Web site:
                http://www.iaea.org/programmes/nafa/d1/mtc/00_it.html