Application of infrared technique in soil properties’ characterization in South Kivu province of DR Congo
Loading...
Date
2015
Authors
Bashagaluke, J.
Nshobole, N.
Fataki, D.
Mochoge, B.
Mugwe, J. N.
Walangululu, J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Research Journals
Abstract
Understanding soil properties is an essential pre-requisite for sustainable land management.
Assessment of soil properties has long been done through conventional laboratory analysis, which is
costly and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative cheaper and faster
techniques for soil analysis. In recent years, special attention has been given to Infrared Reflectance
Spectroscopy and chemometrics. Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy
techniques are rapid, convenient and simple non-destructive techniques for quantifying several soil
properties. This study aims to characterized soil based on based on infrared spectroscopy. This
method were to predict soil pH, soil organic C, total N, exchangeable Al, Ca, Mg, and K, CEC and soil
texture for soil samples collected in Sud-Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 530
composite soil samples were taken from two locations (Burhale and Luhihi) at two depths (0-20 and 20-
40 cm) using a spatially-stratified random sampling design within an area of 100 km2. After minimal
sample preparation, the MIR spectrum of a soil takes about two minutes for the analyses. Ddifferences
in characteristics were evaluated between the two locations, land use (cultivated vs. non-agricultural
land) and soil depth. A random subset of the samples (10%) were analyzed using standard wet
chemistry methods, and calibration models developed using MIR data to estimate soil properties for the
full soil sample set. Partial least squares regression (PLS) method gave acceptable coefficients of
determination between 0.71 and 0.93 for all parameters hence good prediction. Though IR is cheap for
analyzing soil properties it requires high investment at the beginning. There is therefore need of
technical and material support to make this technology useful in developing countries.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Spectroscopy, Prediction, Regression, Soil nutrient, Infrared
Citation
African Journal of Food Science and Technology (ISSN: 2141-5455) Vol. 6(2) pp. 58-67, February, 2015