Effect of Manual Sample Dosing Techniques on Soil Particle Size Distribution Measured via Laser Diffraction
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216305%3A26110%2F26%3A0199030" target="_blank" >RIV/00216305:26110/26:0199030 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.70196" target="_blank" >https://bsssjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ejss.70196</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ejss.70196" target="_blank" >10.1111/ejss.70196</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Effect of Manual Sample Dosing Techniques on Soil Particle Size Distribution Measured via Laser Diffraction
Original language description
Accurate determination of the soil particle size distribution (PSD) is critical for a wide range of environmental, agronomic, and geotechnical applications. Laser diffraction method (LDM) has gained popularity because of its speed and reproducibility; however, it remains sensitive to sample preparation and introduction methods. This study evaluated the impact of three manual dosing techniques on PSD results obtained via laser diffraction for seven USDA-classified soil types, with the pipette method used as a reference. Each technique (A: pipetted suspension; B: semiliquid paste; C: dried material) was applied to 1050 measurements. The results revealed a systematic underestimation of clay and overestimation of silt fractions across all LDM techniques, with Technique A yielding the highest relative standard deviation (average RSD for clay: 16.8%; sand: 26.9%). Techniques B and C showed markedly better repeatability (clay RSDs: 7.1% and 10.2%, respectively), with silt exhibiting the highest measurement precision overall (mean RSD: 6.7%). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed that the choice of dosing technique significantly affected the measured clay fraction (p < 0.001), whereas no statistically significant differences were found for silt or sand. All the laser-based techniques misclassified the soil texture in the USDA triangle, with most samples shifting to silt-dominated groups regardless of the true origin. These findings highlight that while LDM itself introduces systematic biases in PSD estimation, the choice of manual dosing technique-particularly uncontrolled suspension pipetting (Technique A)-further amplifies measurement variability, rendering it unsuitable for high-precision applications. These findings highlight the strong influence of manual dosing on LDM outcomes and confirm the unsuitability of uncontrolled suspension pipetting (Technique A) in precision analysis. Recommendations are provided for standardized manual procedures that can improve reproducibility and classification accuracy in soil laboratories.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
40104 - Soil science
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
European Journal of Soil Science
ISSN
1351-0754
e-ISSN
1365-2389
Volume of the periodical
5
Issue of the periodical within the volume
76
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
15
Pages from-to
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UT code for WoS article
001570652300001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-105015516162