| Abstract: | The traditional methods for determination of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are cumbersome and time-consuming. With the development of automated methods, the time taken to analyze a sample has been reduced considerably. However, these need to be standardized with respect to the type and weight of soil sample used. A study on the determination of soil C and N was carried out to evaluate sample particle size and weight effects on C and N determined by a CHNS analyzer and conventional methods. Three texturally different soils were analyzed for C and N with the CHNS analyzer and traditional methods. The C and N contents measured with the CHNS analyzer were greater than those measured with traditional methods. With finer (<0.25-mm) fractioned samples, C and N contents were greater than in the coarse-fractioned. Carbon and N contents were greater with a sample weight of 10 than with 25 mg. |
