Comparison of Different Methods for the Assessment of Soil Organic Carbon in Northern Guinea Savanna Zone of Nigeria

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A A. Mustapha

Abstract

In Nigeria, Walkley-Black is the most widely used method for soil organic carbon determination. The organic carbon content of the Northern Guinea Savanna soil is low and incomplete oxidation of carbon occurs in the method of determination (Walkley-Black). Three different methods; Tube digestion, Loss on ignition and Potassium permanganate were evaluated and the results obtained compared with Walkley-Black. Soil were sampled from the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria and amount of carbon evaluated using the aforementioned methods. Percentage of carbon recovered ranged from 50.637 to 132.059 and correction factor (CF) varied from 0.757 to 1.975. The result showed low correlation among the used methods.The highest and lowest coefficient of determination (R2) was found in Tube digestion (0.113) and loss on ignition methods (0.014) respectively. The results of the recovery percentages indicates that the loss on ignition and tube digestion were almost similar with the results obtained using the Walkey-Black and as such may be used as an alternative to Walkley-Black method in soil testing laboratories for soils of the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria.

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References

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