Laboratory of Pedology

LABORATORY OF PEDOLOGY

Prof. Claudio Massimo Colombo

http://docenti.unimol.it/index.php?u=colombo&l=en

Dr. Erika Di Iorio

http://docenti.unimol.it/index.php?u=e.diiorio1&l=en

PhD student: Luana Circelli, Pasquale Napoletano

The experimental and analytical equipment of the Soil Science Lab is specific for our main fields of research lines in soil fertility and soil spectroscopy with aim to analize the carbon stock in soil. The main focus of lab research activity is characterization and quantification of organic matter in soil and behaviour of humic acid. Application of the Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) for proxinal soil sensing (PSS) applications in the Vis-NIR regions of the spectrum. The main aim is the assessment and prediction of soil organic carbon, monitoring soil degradation (soil pollution) and the impact on soil function (carbon sink, biodiversity, water cycle). Furthermore, equipment is also available for studies of soil physics, soil biology, soil micromorphology, as well as for field soil sampling. The utilisation of the equipment for soil chemistry relies on the implementation of various techniques for soil sample preparation,: e.g.  AAS (flame ), UV/VIS-NIR- spectrophotometer, optical and SEM-EDS microscopy. In brief, the following analyses are routinely performed: determination of soil texture, TOC, total nitrogen and phosphorus, exchangeable cation capacity (CEC) and exchangeable basis, calcium carbonate and microelements.  For biological properties microbial biomass and activity and enzyme activities are measured. For the analyses of soil physical properties the following parameters can be determined: bulk density, total pore volume, stability of soil aggregates. The Pedology lab is used for a qualified higher education and traineeship of Agricultural science Ms. and PhD students.