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2570683 
Journal Article 
Determination of soil texture: Comparison of the sedimentation method and the laser-diffraction analysis 
Taubner, H; Roth, B; Tippkoetter, R 
2009 
Yes 
Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science
ISSN: 1436-8730
EISSN: 1522-2624 
172 
2 
161-171 
WOS:000265463200001 
Laser-diffraction analysis (LDA) is a rapid automated method achieving highly resolved frequency distributions of particle sizes. Recently, LIDA has come into use in environmental sciences. However, in the size range of silt and clay deviations from the particle-size analysis with the standard pipette method, which is regarded as the reference method for soil-texture classification, have been reported. Therefore, this study concentrates (1) on the verification of systematic relations between both methods using a series of soils of Lower Saxony (Germany) and (2) on the general applicability of the laser-diffraction method to soil-texture classification as well as (3) texture-based estimates of air capacity, available field capacity, and permanent wilting point. The comparison of LIDA with the pipette method demonstrated highly significant linear correlations in each of the particle-size fractions from clay to coarse silt. The slope of regressions ranged from 0.4 with fine silt to 3.1 with clay. If the clay content derived from LIDA was applied to texture classification, the resulting textural classes differed from the standard textural classes, except for purely sandy samples with a clay content of <5%. However, the linear-regression model enabled an approach of the LDA-based clay content to values produced with the standard pipette method. Using this transformation, a texture classification became practicable in many cases, but, despite of a high significance level between LIDA and pipette method, still led to wrong textural classes in several cases. A comparison with regression models from other regions in Europe showed both similarities and discrepancies, even for similar substrates. Hence, the laser-diffraction analysis cannot be used for the texture classification of soil samples without verification by the standard pipette method. 
clay content; pipette method; texture classification; particle-size fractions