Soil Science Lab Analysis
Explore hands-on laboratory demonstrations of soil science analyses, including soil physical, chemical, and biological measurements. This page features step-by-step videos showcasing standard laboratory techniques used in soil research, environmental monitoring, and sustainable land management, designed to support students, researchers, and practitioners.
Bulk Density
This video demonstrates the measurement of soil bulk density (BD) using the core sampling method, conducted at the Lal Carbon Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, The Ohio State University. Bulk density is a key soil physical property that reflects soil compaction, porosity, and root growth potential. It is widely used in soil science to assess soil structure, water movement, and overall soil health. The video explains the experimental setup, sampling techniques, oven-drying procedures, and calculation of bulk density. Understanding bulk density is essential for evaluating soil management practices, crop productivity, and long-term sustainability of agricultural systems.
Particle Density
This video demonstrates the measurement of soil particle density (PD) using the pycnometer method, conducted at the Lal Carbon Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, The Ohio State University. Particle density represents the density of solid soil particles and is an important parameter for calculating total porosity and understanding soil composition. The method is widely used in soil physics to differentiate between mineral and organic components of soil. The video explains the laboratory setup, step-by-step measurement procedure, and calculation of particle density. It also highlights how particle density is used in conjunction with bulk density to determine soil porosity and evaluate soil physical quality.
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity
This video demonstrates the measurement of saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) using the constant head method, conducted at the Lal Carbon Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, The Ohio State University. The constant head method is widely used in soil physics to quantify water flow through saturated soils and is essential for understanding soil permeability, drainage behavior, and soil physical quality. The video explains the experimental setup, principles behind Darcy’s law, step-by-step measurement procedures, and calculation of hydraulic conductivity.
Plant Available Water Capacity
In this video, I demonstrate laboratory procedures for developing the soil water retention (pF) curve using tension table measurements at low matric suction combined with field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) determinations. The tension table is used to quantify soil water content under controlled low suctions, which form the lower part of the pF curve. FC and PWP define key hydraulic thresholds, allowing integration of all data points to construct the complete soil water retention curve and subsequently calculate Plant Available Water Capacity (PAWC).
Soil Aggregate Stability
I’ve demonstrated the laboratory analysis of soil aggregate stability using the Yoder wet sieving method. Aggregate stability is a key indicator of soil structure, resistance to erosion, and overall soil physical quality. In this method, air-dried soil aggregates are placed on a stack of sieves and subjected to vertical oscillation in water. The gentle wetting and sieving action simulate rainfall impact and slaking forces in the field. Stable aggregates remain intact on larger sieves, while weaker aggregates break down and pass through to finer fractions. After sieving, each fraction is oven-dried and weighed to calculate water-stable aggregates.