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Chemical-free carbon analysis holds a rich promise for soil testing

As a convenient push-button source of measurement data, near infrared (NIR) analysis has significant potential to supplement chemical analysis solutions for testing, particularly for key parameters such as organic carbon. The use of NIR is gaining momentum as progress with the complicated business of calibrating NIR equipment for soil samples opens the way for more sustainable and efficient tests.

The lab assistant pours a cup of grain into the top of an instrument, taps the touchscreen to start a test and then barely has time to look-up before the multi-parameter results pop-up on the display.

 

For anyone working with quality control in areas such as grain handling, the advantages of rapid and convenient analysis with near infrared (NIR) instruments have long been obvious as an alternative to slower reference analysis and the hazardous chemical waste that goes with it. So if NIR is already proven for jobs such as the analysis of grain, feed, dairy powder, soymeal and myriad other applications, why not soil?

 

On paper, NIR technology is, in fact, well qualified for testing soil. The principle of measuring the vibration of chemical bonds in a sample coincides with the characteristics of key soil parameters. Useful chemical bonds vibrating in the NIR range include C-H, N-H, S-H and O-H bonds. Calibrations can be developed for parameters using direct correlations with chemical bonds such as soil organic carbon or using indirect correlation for parameters such as pH, CEC, sand and silt. Further, the relatively large sample size (at least 20 grams or more) is good for accommodating the inhomogeneous and complex nature of soil samples.

 

In practice however, considerable groundwork (pun excused) is still required before NIR for soil testing can start to steal laboratory bench space from traditional chemical testing equipment.

 

The challenges and the rewards

Firstly, the use of NIR for applications such as grain analysis is based on decades of calibration development.

Artificial neural network (ANN) calibrations are based on many thousands of data points covering many harvest seasons and conditions. The calibrations are so well developed it can be argued that the NIR tests are as good as if not more reliable than reference tests.

 

In comparison, NIR for soil testing is in its infancy. Soil is also complex when it comes to calibrating instruments as Dr. Andreas Zumdick, global business manager at global leading testing company, SGS, explains: “Soil is highly variable, for instance, geographical variations, composition, texture, pH levels and concentration of nutrients.”

 

Andreas describes how, in 2019, SGS took the initiative to look closer at the specific challenges involved and the potential for NIR to supplement chemical analysis through a collaborative project with analytical solution providers FOSS. “FOSS is already a partner for instance in grain, so it was obvious starting point,” he says. “We wanted to test if we could use NIR as an extension of commercial services. NIR is faster and there’s no hazardous waste.”

 

Of particular interest was the ability to test texture and organic carbon in soil to meet a growing trend in requests for tests where speed of delivery is more important than slight differences against reference results. “If double digits after the comma are not critical, then the precision of NIR can be as good as the wet chemistry,” says Andreas, but with the caveat: “As long as the calibration is robust. We therefore needed to evaluate if NIR is applicable for a soil matrix.”

 

Calibration collaboration

The project teams at FOSS and SGS were well qualified to take on the evaluation in a number of key areas. Given the complexity of soil samples, a lot of data from both chemical reference analysis and NIR tests is required to form the basis of a calibration. SGS could provide much of this data through normal laboratory operations generating a wealth of reference test data every day. In concert, FOSS provided a smart web application for calibration development, data collection from different analysers in different locations and administration of a single project for future data collection and calibration.

 

 

“Using a very large amount of sample combined with the ANN calibration method, we were able to get NIR predictions with similar performance compared with the lab reference method.”

FOSS senior chemometrician, Clement Peltre

 

 

Another factor providing a good platform for the evaluation project was the network of SGS soil-testing laboratories around the world. Among these, a South African laboratory was chosen for its variety of soil types and cropping situations and the high volume of tests handled.

 

Organic content of South African soil

The laboratory provides soil analysis data on soil texture, composition and nutrients for farmers and crop consultants. Such data is becoming increasingly important for sustainable farming by helping to ensure the proper use of fertilisers to safeguard yield and crop quality.

 

Manager of the SGS Somerset West laboratory, Stuart Shepherd gives details: “In South Africa we do over 200,000 samples a year in our lab and soil analysis is used extensively by farmers for their fertilizer applications.

Many farmers are now trying to increase the organic content of their soils to obtain better productivity and replenish what they have taken out of the soil and hopefully start to farm in a more sustainable way.”

 

Foundation for calibration development

Among the parameters investigated in the evaluation, the one that showed significant promise was the analysis of organic carbon. Soil in South Africa is characterized by high acidity which makes the analysis of carbon highly relevant. Any reduction in use of chemicals and time involved for carbon tests could make a significant contribution to the efficiency of laboratory operations.

Sustainability starts with soil

Organic carbon content is vital for soil fertility, for instance for pH balance, nutrients and physical properties such as water retention. It is increasingly important for development of sustainable farming practices, for instance, in helping to determine effective use of fertiliser.

 

Organic carbon can play a major role in mitigating climate change through sequestration of CO2/carbon in soil. According to studies, an increase of 0.1% will have a significant impact on absorption of CO2 while increasing soil fertility.

 

Carbon in soil

 

 

“Many of our agronomists here make use of a lime calculation that requires the analysis of carbon,” explains Stuart Shepherd. “The wet chemistry analysis of soil is expensive, time consuming and also uses hazardous chemicals. Our aim of looking at NIR was to try and find a method that could be used for carbon analysis that could be used to do this without the safety hazards associated with the wet chemistry.”

 

The initial calibration development included data from some 5000 samples. For many other applications for NIR analysis this might safely be considered a great platform, but indicating the complicated nature of soil analysis, it represents just a start for both FOSS and SGS. Specifically, the evaluation lacked samples with high carbon levels.

 

Nonetheless, Stuart is clear on the potential to improve the measurement chain. “I think the margin of error is far smaller than it is in the actual sampling technique used for taking samples,” he states.

 

FOSS senior chemometrician, Clement Peltre is confident that the availability of sample data in combination of artificial neural networking represents a solid foundation for analysis of soil with NIR. “Soil is a complicated matrix, but using a very large amount of sample combined with the ANN calibration method, we were able to get NIR predictions with similar performance compared with the lab reference method for soil organic carbon.”

 

Overall, Clement can now see how the project has helped to crystalise the potential of NIR for soil testing. “We have also shown that it is possible to create calibrations that work for all the soil types analyzed by the lab in SGS South Africa, which was not sure when we started the project,” he concludes. “For a soil lab willing to get started with NIR analysis, it is possible to collect a large number of samples thanks to the typical high sample throughput in soil analysis laboratories. It can then be expected to get a first working version of the calibration models in place within a year.”

 

Screening with NIR

Andreas Zumdick adds: “In soil we have just started. We have proven with the work in South Africa that the analytical results are within the specification of wet chemistry and we are confident that we can offer this as a service to our local partners in the near future.”

 

The nature of such services could exploit the same advantages seen with other matrices such as grain. For instance, the speed of NIR testing is vital for SGS customers needing to assess the quality of grain arriving at ports. Naturally, the quality of the grain will vary across a large shipment and rapid screening tests help to assess quality in different parts of the ship.

 

Similar screening applications could be valuable for soil. “We need to be prepared,” says Andreas. “In South Africa we can apply our calibration, but in other geographies, we have to adapt it. Given the complexity of soil analysis, it will not be achieved easily, but we cannot wait until the golden standard is developed. We have to take steps now to improve the decision making for fertility management in the field.”

 

Learn more about the latest NIR analytical solutions

Webinar: Grow your business and become more sustainable with NIR soil solutions

In laboratories today, we see an increasing focus on becoming more sustainable and reducing the use of harmful chemicals without compromising on quality and accuracy. Learn why NIR is rapidly gaining acceptance as a reliable method for soil analysis, that is fast, accurate and sustainable, and get insights into the practical use of NIR for soil testing. This recorded webinar is hosted by soil application expert, Nicolai Bork and guest speaker, Dr. Andreas Zumdick, global business manager, at laboratory service providers, SGS.

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