Determination of the clay content of soils | 25 June 2024, 01:00PM
Clay content and its mineralogical composition are key properties to be considered in sustainable soil management. Members of the Belgium and Luxemburg Soil Laboratory Network (BESOLAN) organized a webinar to present an overview of the various methodologies used to determine clay content of soils, including traditional techniques and the alternative methods.
AGENDA
1:00 – 1:10 PM CEST | Opening, welcome remarks
- Mr Filippo Benedetti, Coordinator of the Global Soil Laboratory Network (GLOSOLAN)
- Ms Marija Romic, chair of the European and Eurasian Soil Laboratory Network (EUROSOLAN)
- Mr Kristof Tirez, Belgium and Luxembourg Soil Laboratory Network (BESOLAN)
- Chair of the webinar: Mr Joost Salomez, Government of Flanders, Department of Environment and Spatial Planning
1:10 – 1:50 CEST| Introduction on the importance of clay content in soil
- General introduction – GLOSOLAN perspective | Ms Hanane Aroui, GLOSOLAN vice-Chair, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)
- Indicators soil health based on the relation between soil organic matter and clay | Mr Axel Don, Thünen Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Germany
1:50 – 2:30 CEST| Standard methodology for the determination of the clay content of soils (Brussels, Flemish, Walloon Regions and Luxemburg)
- The sieving and sedimentation method (ISO 11277) | Ms Chris Vanhoof, Flemish Reference Laboratory for Environmental Monitoring (VITO) | Mr Lionel Leydet, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Administration of Technical Agricultural Services | Mr Gilles Colinet, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, EESP, University of Liège
2:30 - 2:50 PM CEST | Questions and answers
- Mr Joost Salomez and presenters
2:50 - 3:00 PM CEST | 10-minute break
3:00 – 4:00 CEST| Alternative methods for the determination of the clay content of soils and comparability with the sieving and sedimentation method
- Near-infrared spectroscopy | Ms Clémence Mariage, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, EESP, University of Liège
- Should laser diffraction become the new standard for soil particle size analysis ? | Mr Bruno De Vos, Research Institute for Nature and Forest
- Determination of soil particle size distribution using the dynamometer method | Ms Maria Kreimeyer, AGROLAB Laboratory Group, Germany
4:00 – 4:30 CEST | Methods complementary to the determination of the clay content of soils
- Identification of clay minerals by X-ray diffraction | Ms Nathalie Fagel, Département de Géologie, University of Liège
- Interpretation and application of mineralogy results | Ms Simone Marx, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, Administration of Technical Agricultural Services, Luxembourg
4:30 - 4:50 CEST | Questions and answers | Mr Joost Salomez and presenters
4:50 - 5:00 CEST | Wrap up and closure of the webinar | Mr Filippo Benedetti, Global Soil Partnership Secretariat Mr Kristof Tirez, Belgium and Luxembourg Soil Laboratory Network