Humus Index: an integrated tool for the assessment of forest floor and topsoil properties
2002
Ponge, Jean-François | Chevalier, Richard | Loussot, Philippe | Centre d'Ecologie et des Sciences de la COnservation (CESCO) ; Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Écosystèmes forestiers et paysages (UR EFNO) ; Centre national du machinisme agricole, du génie rural, des eaux et forêts (CEMAGREF) | Maison de l'Agriculture de Seine-et-Marne ; Maison de l'Agriculture de Seine-et-Marne
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. A quantitative assessment of forest humus forms is suggested, on the basis of a scale ranging from 1 (Eumull) to 7 (Dysmoder) which is called the Humus Index. Regression analyses showed that this index was well-correlated with several morphological as well as chemical variables describing forest floors and topsoil profiles: thickness of the Oe horizon, depth of the crumby mineral horizon, Munsell hue, pH(KCl) and pH(H2O), H and Al exchangeable acidity, percentage base saturation, cation-exchange capacity, exchangeable bases, C and N content and available P of the A horizon. The suggested humus index could be used as a cheap and rapid method for the bulk assessment of organic matter accumulation, soil-acidity, and soil biological activity.
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