Abstract
The proportion of inositol pentaphosphate (IP5) and hexaphosphate (IP6) varied significantly and were found to be related to the organic matter and organic P contents of the soil sampled. Ester of myo+D-chiro IP6 together accounted for 48 to 81 per cent and scylloinositol represented about 19 to 52 per cent of the total hexaphosphate. Simple correlation revealed that alkaline conditions probably favoured the synthesis of scyllo IP6 by phytase and multiple correlation suggested that organic matter, organic P and pH were collectively related to the amounts of different inositol polyphosphate fraction in soil samples. The ratio of IP6 to IP5 varied between 0·7 and 4·3 and that of myo + D-chiro to scyllo IP6 between 0·9 and 4·3.
