by Playfuls Staff |
15th March 2007
U.S. scientists have found soil color can predict soil organic content, allowing rapid assessments of soil [more] quality.
Iowa Sate University researchers discovered just looking at soil color is reasonably as accurate as time-consuming and expensive laboratory tests.
The scientists said soil color can be used as a simple, inexpensive method to predict measurements of soil organic content, providing a technique that researchers can use to assess soil quality and better understand global carbon cycles.
The researchers compared field and laboratory measurements to determine the color and the organic content of soil samples from cultivated and native land in northeast Iowa.
"Soil color is one of the most obvious features of soil and organic matter has long been known as one of the primary pigmenting agents in soil," said Skye Wills, lead author of the study.
The research appears in the March-April issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal.
© 2007 UPI
