scholarly journals Modification of the standard method for determination of non-exchangeable NH4-N in soil

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 557-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Beuters ◽  
H.W. Scherer

It is well accepted that non-exchangeable NH<sub>4</sub>-N plays an important role in the N dynamics of arable soils. However the widely-used Silva/Bremner method for determining this N fraction is very time consuming and the use of the hazardous hydrofluoric acid (HF) is indispensable. In the modification the use of HF is avoided and the quantity of analysed samples per unit of time could be increased by a factor of 2.5. After pretreating soil samples with KOBr to destroy soil organic matter soil samples are dried and the content of non-exchangeable NH<sub>4</sub>-N is measured using a CNS analyzer. The results of the analysis of 3 out of 4 different soils show no significant differences between both methods. &nbsp;

2008 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silmara R. Bianchi ◽  
Mario Miyazawa ◽  
Edson L. de Oliveira ◽  
Marcos Antonio Pavan

The quantity of soil organic matter (SOM) was estimated through the determination of soil organic carbon (SOC) times a factor, which assumes that 58% of the SOM was formed by carbon. A number of soil samples with wide range of SOC content collected in the state of Paraná, Brazil were evaluated in the laboratory. SOC was measured by Walkley-Black method and the total SOM by loss on ignition. The SOC was positively correlated with SOM. The SOM/SOC ratio varied from 1.91 to 5.08 for the soils. It shows that Brazilian SOM has greater oxidation degree. Although, the SOM and SOC decreased with soil depth the SOM/SOC ratio increased. It showed that SOM in the subsoil contained more oxygen but less carbon than the SOM in the upper soil surface. The CEC/SOC also increased with depth indicating that the functional groups of the SOM increased per unity of carbon.


1959 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Bremner ◽  
T. Harada

1. The effect of treating mineral soils with hydrofluoric acid to decompose clay minerals on the extraction of soil organic matter by alkaline and neutral reagents has been investigated.2. It was found that treatment of soil with hydrofluoric acid had little effect on the extraction of organic matter by alkaline or neutral reagents, but that it released considerable amounts of ammonium and organic matter. More than 90% of the nitrogen in Rothamsted soils was dissolved by repeated treatments with dilute solutions of hydrofluoric acid and sodium hydroxide.3. It is shown that treatment of clay minerals with n-HF:n-HCl solution at room temperature for 24 hr. effects quantitative release of fixed ammonium from clay minerals and that similar treatment of soil is not likely to cause significant decomposition of organic nitrogen compounds to ammonium. It is suggested that a method based on this treatment may prove useful for the determination of fixed ammonium in soil. Results obtained by this method indicated that 4–8% of the nitrogen in surface soils and 19–45% of the nitrogen in subsoils examined was in the form of fixed ammonium.4. It is concluded that some mineral soils contain a significant quantity of ammonium and organic matter intimately associated with clay minerals and that this clay-bound material is not dissolved by neutral and alkaline reagents used for the extraction of soil organic matter, but is released by hydrofluoric acid.


1998 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annett Weigel ◽  
Jaromir Kubat ◽  
Martin Körschens ◽  
David S. Powlson ◽  
Stanislaw Mercik

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
pp. 1953-1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Fernandez ◽  
Juan Gabriel Álvarez-González ◽  
Beatríz Carrasco ◽  
Ana Daría Ruíz-González ◽  
Ana Cabaneiro

Forest ecosystems can act as C sinks, thus absorbing a high percentage of atmospheric CO2. Appropriate silvicultural regimes can therefore be applied as useful tools in climate change mitigation strategies. The present study analyzed the temporal changes in the effects of thinning on soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics and on soil CO2 emissions in radiata pine ( Pinus radiata D. Don) forests. Soil C effluxes were monitored over a period of 2 years in thinned and unthinned plots. In addition, soil samples from the plots were analyzed by solid-state 13C-NMR to determine the post-thinning SOM composition and fresh soil samples were incubated under laboratory conditions to determine their biodegradability. The results indicate that the potential soil C mineralization largely depends on the proportion of alkyl-C and N-alkyl-C functional groups in the SOM and on the microbial accessibility of the recalcitrant organic pool. Soil CO2 effluxes varied widely between seasons and increased exponentially with soil heating. Thinning led to decreased soil respiration and attenuation of the seasonal fluctuations. These effects were observed for up to 20 months after thinning, although they disappeared thereafter. Thus, moderate thinning caused enduring changes to the SOM composition and appeared to have temporary effects on the C storage capacity of forest soils, which is a critical aspect under the current climatic change scenario.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Hrelja ◽  
Ivana Šestak ◽  
Igor Bogunović

&lt;p&gt;Spectral data obtained from optical spaceborne sensors are being recognized as a valuable source of data that show promising results in assessing soil properties on medium and macro scale. Combining this technique with laboratory Visible-Near Infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy methods can be an effective approach to perform robust research on plot scale to determine wildfire impact on soil organic matter (SOM) immediately after the fire. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the ability of Sentinel-2 superspectral data in estimating post-fire SOM content and comparison with the results acquired with laboratory VIS-NIR spectroscopy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The study is performed in Mediterranean Croatia (44&amp;#176; 05&amp;#8217; N; 15&amp;#176; 22&amp;#8217; E; 72 m a.s.l.), on approximately 15 ha of fire affected mixed &lt;em&gt;Quercus ssp.&lt;/em&gt; and &lt;em&gt;Juniperus ssp.&lt;/em&gt; forest on Cambisols. A total of 80 soil samples (0-5 cm depth) were collected and geolocated on August 22&lt;sup&gt;nd&lt;/sup&gt; 2019, two days after a medium to high severity wildfire. The samples were taken to the laboratory where soil organic carbon (SOC) content was determined via dry combustion method with a CHNS analyzer. SOM was subsequently calculated by using a conversion factor of 1.724. Laboratory soil spectral measurements were carried out using a portable spectroradiometer (350-1050 nm) on all collected soil samples. Two Sentinel-2 images were downloaded from ESAs Scientific Open Access Hub according to the closest dates of field sampling, namely August 31&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; and September 5&lt;sup&gt;th &lt;/sup&gt;2019, each containing eight VIS-NIR and two SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared) bands which were extracted from bare soil pixels using SNAP software. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) model based on the pre-processed spectral data was used for SOM estimation on both datasets. Spectral reflectance data were used as predictors and SOM content was used as a response variable. The accuracy of the models was determined via Root Mean Squared Error of Prediction (RMSE&lt;sub&gt;p&lt;/sub&gt;) and Ratio of Performance to Deviation (RPD) after full cross-validation of the calibration datasets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The average post-fire SOM content was 9.63%, ranging from 5.46% minimum to 23.89% maximum. Models obtained from both datasets showed low RMSE&lt;sub&gt;p &lt;/sub&gt;(Spectroscopy dataset RMSE&lt;sub&gt;p&lt;/sub&gt; = 1.91; Sentinel-2 dataset RMSE&lt;sub&gt;p&lt;/sub&gt; = 0.99). RPD values indicated very good predictions for both datasets (Spectrospcopy dataset RPD = 2.72; Sentinel-2 dataset RPD = 2.22). Laboratory spectroscopy method with higher spectral resolution provided more accurate results. Nonetheless, spaceborne method also showed promising results in the analysis and monitoring of SOM in post-burn period.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keywords:&lt;/strong&gt; remote sensing, soil spectroscopy, wildfires, soil organic matter&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Acknowledgment: &lt;/strong&gt;This work was supported by the Croatian Science Foundation through the project &quot;Soil erosion and degradation in Croatia&quot; (UIP-2017-05-7834) (SEDCRO). Aleksandra Per&amp;#269;in is acknowledged for her cooperation during the laboratory work.&lt;/p&gt;


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Binner ◽  
Timothy Sullivan ◽  
Maria E. Mc Namara

&lt;p&gt;Soil contamination is widespread across Europe. In particular, contamination of urban soils by metals is poorly characterised. This is a major environmental concern, especially given that urban recreational amenities may be located on former industrial sites and/or may possess ex situ soils derived from industrial areas. We surveyed soils from nine urban recreational sites (15 samples per site) in Cork city in order to assess the degree of metal contamination. The results show that Pb concentrations exceed national background levels in all soil samples from all sites by a mean of 600 % and at least 140 %. Mn, Fe and Zn are enriched above background levels in all soil samples from three (Mn and Fe) to five (Zn) of the sites and, at the remaining sites, show 7 &amp;#8211; 14 localised hotspots. Similar hotspots characterise Cu, Rb and Sr, which each exceed background levels at eight or more sampling locations at four sites. Co, Ni, As and Sn concentrations exceed background levels in at least three hotspots at each of three to six sites. Overall, metal concentrations are highest in the sites closest to the city centre, reflecting diverse sources that potentially include traffic and current and historical domestic coal burning and industry. At each urban site, the element grouping Zn and Pb recurs in 50 to 80 % of locations and enrichment in the element grouping Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb recurs in approx. 50 % of locations; Ni and As recur in approx. 10 % of the locations. At three sites, elevated concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Pb are associated with high LOI (Loss-on-ignition) values &amp;#8211; a proxy for the amount of soil organic matter present &amp;#8211; and near-neutral pH values. Conversely, low LOI and acidic pH values are associated with lower concentrations of these elements. This indicates that soil metal concentrations are influenced by the amount of organic matter present and by pH. &amp;#160;Future analyses and experiments will further investigate links between soil organic matter and metal concentrations.&lt;/p&gt;


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Conen ◽  
Mikhail V. Yakutin

Abstract. Soil organic matter carries ice nucleating particles (INP) of which the origin is hard to define and that are active at slight supercooling. The discovery and characterisation of INP produced by the widespread soil fungus Mortierella alpina permits a more targeted investigation of the likely origin of INP in soils. We searched for INP with characteristics similar to those reported for M. alpina (INPM-like) in 20 soil samples from four areas in the northern midlatitudes and one area in the tropics. In the 15 samples where we could detect INPM-like, they constituted between 1 and 94 % (median 11 %) of all INP active at −10 °C or warmer associated with soil particles


Soil Research ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 975 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Golchin ◽  
P Clarke ◽  
JM Oades ◽  
JO Skjemstad

Soil samples were obtained from the surface horizons of five untilled sites and adjacent sites under short- and long-term cultivation. The soil samples were fractionated based on density and organic materials were concentrated in various fractions which enabled comparative chemical composition of the organic materials in cultivated and uncultivated sites by solid-state C-13 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. Changes in the nature of organic carbon with cultivation were different in different soils and resulted from variations in the chemistry of carbon inputs to the soils and a greater extent of decomposition of organic materials in cultivated soils. Differences in the chemical composition of organic carbon between cultivated and uncultivated soils resided mostly in organic materials occluded within aggregates, whereas the chemistry of organic matter associated with clay particles showed only small changes. The results indicate a faster decomposition of O-alkyl C in the cultivated soils. Wet aggregate stability, mechanically dispersible clay and modulus of rupture tests were used to assess the effects of cultivation on structural stability of soils. In four of five soils, the virgin sites and sites which had been under long-term pasture had a greater aggregate stability than the cultivated sites. Neither total organic matter nor total O-alkyl C content was closely correlated with aggregate stability, suggesting that only a part of soil carbon or carbohydrate is involved in aggregate stability. The fractions of carbon and O-alkyl C present in the form of particulate organic matter occluded within aggregates were better correlated with aggregate stability (r = 0.86** and 0.88**, respectively). Cultivation was not the dominant factor influencing water-dispersible clay across the range of soil types used in this study. The amount of dispersible clay was a function of total clay content and the percentage of clay dispersed was controlled by factors such as clay mineralogy, CaCO3 and organic matter content of soils. The tendency of different soils for hard-setting and crusting, as a result of structural collapse, was reflected in the modulus of rupture (MOR). The cultivated sites had significantly higher MOR than their non-tilled counterparts. The soils studied had different MOR due to differences in their physical and chemical properties.


Soil Research ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyu Bao ◽  
Qixing Zhou ◽  
Yingying Wang

The adsorption characteristics of tetracycline by 2 soils including a clay-rich soil (cinnamon soil) and an iron oxide-rich soil (red soil) were investigated as a function of soil organic matter (SOM). SOM is the main adsorbent for tetracycline in the soil environment. The results indicated that the adsorption kinetics of tetracycline by the different soils with or without organic matter was described by the Elovich equation and the exponent equation. The adsorption of tetracycline on red soil was quite rapid and equilibrium could be reached after 5 h. In contrast, the concentration of tetracycline in cinnamon soil reached equilibrium after 11 h. The difference in equilibrium time in cinnamon soil and red soil was caused by their dominant components for adsorption, including clays, organic matter, and Al/Fe hydrous oxides. It took longer for the penetration of tetracycline into the interlayers between clays and organic matter in cinnamon soil, but tetracycline needed less time for adsorption through surface complexation on oxide surfaces of red soil. Removing SOM from soil markedly shortened the equilibrium time (7 h) of adsorption and reduced the equilibrium concentration (Cs) in cinnamon soil, but not in red soil, because of different dominant components for adsorption in the 2 natural soils. In natural and SOM-free soils, >98% of tetracycline in solution could be sorbed. The adsorption of tetracycline on natural and SOM-free soils was well described by Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Batch adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption of tetracycline on natural red soil was stronger than that on natural cinnamon soil. Adsorption capacity (KF) decreased with an increase in SOM removed from soil, which is attributed to the effect of tetracycline sorbed by SOM in different soils. However, SOM affected the adsorption intensity (n) of different soils diversely; there was a decrease for red soil and an increase for cinnamon soil. In particular, red soil with high Al/Fe hydrous oxides had higher adsorption affinities than cinnamon soil.


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