Measurement of soil organic carbon (OC)

Soil organic carbon improve soil structure, water retention, soil biodiversity, buffering capacity and the cycling and storage of plant nutrients. In addition, the mineralization of soil organic carbon provides plant nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur (S), as well as with micronutrients. Therefore, the measure of soil organic carbon levels is necessary to determine the soil fertility. The Walkley-Black method was chosen as it is a simplified method, which provides accurate measurements on soils with high organic carbon content.