| The objective of this study was to predict the concentration of soil organic matter (SOM) in tropical soils using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) for samples measured within a polyethylene bag and without a bag. One hundred and fifty six soil samples from the humid tropics of Tabasco, Mexico with contrasting chemical characteristics were selected. The samples were dried, ground, and sieved through 2 mm and 5 mm screens, and their SOM contents were determined using the Walkley-Black method. The soil samples were packed in polyethylene bags, and SOM was measured directly with and without a bag using a quartz probe (FOSS 5000 model of NIRsystems, DK-3400 Hillerod,Denmark) for a range from 1100 to 2000 nm to obtain a prediction model of SOM. The model for... |
