Assessment of Labile Organic Carbon in Soil Using Sequential Fumigation Incubation Procedures

The overall goal of this sequential fumigation incubation procedure is to estimate labile carbon and the potential carbon turnover rate in soil. This method can answer key things in the soil microbiology field, such as the amount of substrate that soil microbes use to transform nutrients in the soil. One of the main advantages of this technique is that it's relatively simple to use and inexpensive.

Prior to collection, identify differences in soil properties and vegetation within the collection site. Using the appropriate coefficients of variation, determine the number of samples needed and the distance of variability. For heterogeneous soil conditions, designate a grid sample pattern wherein the distance between sample points on each transect is smaller than the distance of variability within an experimental unit.