plant growers somtimes steralize their potting soil by heating it to high temperatures to kill pathogens that might be in the soil. how might the heat sterilazation of the soil affect the ammount of nirate available to tomato plants grown in that soil?

the amount would remain constant as air was in contact with the soil

There would be more nitrates because nothing was competing against them

The amount would slowly increase as the plants roots broke down the soil

There would be less nitrates since the nitrate producing bacteria were also killed