Transferability between soil organic matter measurement methods for database harmonization

Authors: SHAMRIKOVA, ELENA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; KONDRATENOK, BORIS - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; TUMANOVA, EVGENIIA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; VANCHIKOVA, EVGENIIA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; LAPTEVA, ELENA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; ZONOVA, TATYANA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; LU-LYAN-MIN, E - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; DAVYDOVA, ANGELA - Institute Of Biology Komi Sc Urd Ras; Libohova, Zamir; SUVANNANG, NOPMANEE - Water Management Institute

Submitted to: Geoderma
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2021
Publication Date: 10/19/2021
Citation: Shamrikova, E.V., Kondratenok, B.M., Tumanova, E.A., Vanchikova, E.V., Lapteva, E.M., Zonova, T.N., Lu-Lyan-Min, E.I., Davydova, A.P., Libohova, Z., Suvannang, N. 2021. Transferability between soil organic matter measurement methods for database harmonization. Geoderma. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115547.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115547

Interpretive Summary: The evaluation of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks at regional or farm levels requires accurate methods for measuring SOC. There are multiple methods for measuring SOC that are used by different countries and laboratories and that have changed over time. The major goal of this research was to compare different methods of measuring SOC and develop conversion factors between methods. The results from this study would help facilitate regional and local assessment of Soil Organic Matter for soil health and SOC stocks or changes over time for Carbon Credits. Soil samples analyzed with SOC content determined by approved international standard methods, were analyzed with the most common methods for SOC (Tyurin, Walkley-Black and Dry Combustion).

Technical Abstract: Soil organic matter (SOM) is one of the most important soil-forming factors and complex with a chemical composition not fully known. The amount of SOM traditionally is estimated by stoichiometric determination of carbon dioxide (CO2) released from oxidation reaction with a chromium mixture, hence the term soil organic carbon (SOC). The two most common oxidation methods are Tyurin and Walkley-Black (WB). However, the efficiency of organic carbon oxidation depends upon the conditions of the oxidation reduction (redox) reaction (temperature, reagent concentration, oxidation time), which vary for both methods. The lack of consistent results from the oxidation methods has led to widely different conversion factors. Although the Tyurin’s method has been slowly removed from some laboratories, there still remains a large number of samples, especially from Eurasia, that have been measured by this method for more than a century and continue at the present time. The objective of this research was to develop equations or pedotransfer functions (ptf) for converting SOC determined by the Tyurin method to current and more widely used methods, such as WB and dry combustion (DC). A comparative analysis was performed for the assessment of soil organic carbon content obtained by Tyurin and Walkley-Black methods for ten quality control soil samples and 100 field soil samples. The selected soils differed in their genesis, geographical origin, and organic carbon content. SOC determined by dry combustion, providing a maximum oxidation of organic carbon, was used as a standard for comparing Tyurin and WB methods. The conversion factors from SOC to SOM developed from equations (ptf) were 1.15 and 1.30 for Tyurin and WB methods. The SOM measurement error for both methods did not exceed 20%. The relationship between the absorption of calibration solutions and the mass of sucrose carbon or the equivalent amount of iron (II) for the entire OC range in this study was very strong (r = 0.99). The values of the calibration function coefficients ('0, K) of the calibration functions A = A0 + Km ('') for both methods, did not depend upon the nature of the reducing agent, and the relative error of the K coefficients when using two reducing agents (Mohr’s salt or sucrose) was not more than '2 ' 2.5%. Soil samples prepared based upon the Tyurin method experienced additional dispersion compared to the Walkley-Black method, which caused higher values in the measurement of SOC even after centrifugation of soil suspensions. The SOC measured mean value by the Tyurin method combined with 48 hours settling time was comparable with the SOC mean measured by dry combustion. The established coefficients ensure that the results are transferable and consistent with the standard method. The results from this study facilitate the integration of the accumulated data that are analyzed by different methods across the Eurasian countries into one comprehensive database that could be incorporated into the global network for monitoring soil quality.