Abstract
The density of soil organic matter has been derived from an equation representing the regression of soil density on the clay and organic matter contents. When the amount of organic matter was taken as equalling 1.9 times the total organic carbon, this resulted in the value 1.47 for the density of soil organic matter, which is believed to be an appropriate figure.
Highlights
The first-mentioned author found for the organic matter in the A horizon the average value of 1.54, the latter correspondingly for an extensive German peatland material the value 1.45. This led the present author to study the basis of the method which was employed; the result was derived in an indirect way, it should be very nearly correct in a series of this extent unless there are systematic errors in the method
An accurate combustion performed later on the standard soil showed that the total quantity of organic carbon was 9.5 per cent higher than the value obtained by digestion in the water-bath
When the organic matter in the soil is calculated from the total organic carbon by the coefficient 1.9 (2), the average organic matter percentage of the investigated series will be 7.36 instead of 6.08
Summary
By substituting in equation (2) the respective mean values from the investigated material and the average density of the mineral constituent, which can be calculated with sufficient accuracy on the basis of the average clay content (4), one finds. The first-mentioned author found for the organic matter in the A horizon the average value of 1.54, the latter correspondingly for an extensive German peatland material the value 1.45 This led the present author to study the basis of the method which was employed; the result was derived in an indirect way, it should be very nearly correct in a series of this extent unless there are systematic errors in the method. When the organic matter in the soil is calculated from the total organic carbon by the coefficient 1.9 (2), the average organic matter percentage of the investigated series will be 7.36 instead of 6.08 If this is substituted in equation (2), the value 1.47, instead of 1.34, is obtained for the density of the organic matter. This indicates that there are no systematic errors in the methods and calculations involved, or that they are negligible
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