Organic Matter Sources
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Organic Matter Sources
- The following are some data for peat. Calculate the percent organic matter content. Does this peat have a suitable to OM content to use in a USGA root zone?
| Soil Id | FarFard Peat |
| crucible wt. | 18.076 |
| cruc. + peat | 20.385 |
| cruc. + ash | 18.224 |
(1)
Where
%OM is the percent organic matter content
DP is the total weight of the crucible and the organic matter content
CA is the total weight of the crucible and ash
C is the weight of the crucible
The recommended organic matter content in the rootzone mixture should be at least 85% by weight determined by loss on ignition (Fidanza et al., 2017). The calculated organic matter content is 93.59% hence suitable for use in a USGA rootzone.
- Consider the following data. Calculate the percent water holding capacity. Does this peat have a suitable water holding capacity to use in a USGA rootzone?
| Soil Id | FarFardPeat |
| crucible wt. | 19.111 |
| cruc. + saturated peat | 37.672 |
| cruc. + dry peat | 24.767 |
(2)
Where
SP is the total weight of the wet peat and crucible
DP is the total weight of the dry peat and crucible
The recommended water holding capacity in the USGA rootzone ranges from 25% to 35% (Fidanza et al., 2017). The calculated water retention capacity is 228.16%; hence the peat is not suitable for use in the USGA rootzone.
- Consider the following data. Calculate the water content of this peat when shipped. Does this peat meet the water content for ease of rewetting?
| Soil Id | FarFard Peat |
| crucible wt. | 32.124 |
| cruc. + moist peat | 35.672 |
| cruc. + dry peat | 34.528 |
(3)
Where
WP is the wet peat and crucible total weight
DP is the dry peat and crucible total weight
The recommended peat’s water content for use in the USGA rootzone should be above 25% for easy rewetting (Fidanza et al., 2017). The calculated peat water content is 32.24% hence suitable for use in the USGA rootzone.
References
Fidanza, M. A., Snyder, G. H., & Cisar, J. L. (2017). Documenting Changes in USGA Specification Rootzone Properties in Ultrad