As early as 1978,
Nannipieri et al. recognized that higher phosphatase activity
coincided with increased microbial populations in soil
under conditions of P deficiency; however, this relationship
was decoupled when soil was amended with KH2PO4.
While both root exudates and manure can stimulate
phosphatase activity by providing soil microorganisms with
sources of C, N, and P (Juma and Tabatabai 1977; Tarafdar
and Jungk 1987), a negative-feedback mechanism partially
controls phosphomonoesterase activity, and enzyme inhibition
can occur when high levels of inorganic P are present
(Nannipieri et al.