Jiří  HECZKO, Anastazija GSELMAN,  Matjaž  TURINEK, Martina BAVEC and Janja KRISTL

pp. 17-22

The purpose of this study was to compare two wet digestion methods, the Tyurin method and the Austrian guideline ÖNORM L 1081, for the determination of soil organic carbon (SOC). For this purpose the impact of conventional,   integrated,   organic   and   biodynamic   farming   systems   on   SOC   content   was determined.   The   efficiency   of the wet oxidation methods was evaluated using the results obtained by high-temperature dry combustion. Organic carbon contents determined by the Tyurin method were higher than those from ÖNORM L 1081 or high- temperature combustion method. The Tyurin method overestimated the SOC content. The agreement between high- temperature dry combustion and the ÖNORM L 1081 results suggested that SOC in the investigated soil type and sampling horizon could be completely recovered by using wet digestion under conditions described. In the beginning period,   no significant   differences   were   observed   between   the   farming   systems   under   study.   The   results   of   this   study,   however, indicate that the choice of the analytical method is important for accurate determination of SOC content.

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