Recent work has shown that nitrate inhibits reduction of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to dinitrogen (N 2 ) by soil microorganisms under anaerobic conditions. Studies to investigate the possibility that this inhibition is caused by nitrite or nitric oxide (NO) formed through microbial reduction of nitrate showed that both NO and nitrite inhibit reduction of N 2 O to N 2 by soil microorganisms under anaerobic conditions (helium atmosphere) but that the inhibitory effect of NO on N 2 O reduction is much smaller than the effects of nitrate or nitrite. Comparison of the effects of nitrate, nitrite, and mixtures of nitrate and nitrite on reduction of N 2 O to N 2 by soils incubated under He showed that nitrate per se inhibits N 2 O reduction and did not confirm a recent suggestion that the inhibitory effect of nitrate on N 2 O reduction is due to nitrite formed through microbial reduction of nitrate.
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Gaskell et al. (1981) studied this question.