ISO/TS 22939 discusses soil quality with a focus on the measurement of enzyme activity patterns in soil samples. ISO/TS 22939 specifies a method for the measurement of several enzyme activities (arylsulfatase, α −glucosidase, β -glucosidase, Cellubisidase, β -Xylosidase, phosphodiesterase (PDE), chitinase, phosphomonoesterase (PME), leucine-aminopeptidase, Alanine-aminopeptidase) simultaneously (or not) using fluorigenic substrates in soil samples.
Enzyme activities of soil vary seasonally and depend on the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the soil. Its application for the detection of harmful effects of toxic chemicals or other anthropogenic impacts depends on the simultaneous comparison of enzyme activities in a control soil similar to the test soil, or on exposure tests with chemicals or treatments.
ISO/TS 22939 on fluorogenic substrates in micro-well plates in soil quality is useful for:
Micro-organisms are responsible for many key processes in the cycle of elements. Enzymes play key roles in the degradation and mineralization of organic macromolecules. The main postulate is the microbial origin of soil enzymes, even if plant root exudates include enzymes. The simultaneous monitoring of several enzyme activities important in the biodegradation of organic compounds and mineralization of C, N, P, and S in soil may reveal harmful effects caused by chemicals and other anthropogenic impacts (e.g., acidification, compaction).
ISO/TS 22939 describes a method for the simultaneous measurements of several enzymes in soil samples. ISO/TS 22939 is based on the use of soil samples diluted in buffer containing fluorogenic substrates, which are incubated for 3 h at (30 ± 2) °C in multi-well plates. After the incubation, the enzyme activities are measured as fluorescence with a plate-reading fluorometer. The method described is based on dried standard and substrate plates enabling storage and limiting bias due to differences between reagent batches and also enabling comparison between reagent batches.
PD ISO/TS 22939:2019 supersedes ISO/TS 22939:2010, which is withdrawn. PD ISO/TS 22939:2019 includes some technical changes with respect to ISO/TS 22939:2010. These include:
ISO/TS 22939