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Discriminating Dyes in Soil with Color Image Analysis

Dep. of Agronomy, Agronomy Hall, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011

*Corresponding author (ewing{at}iastate.edu).

ABSTRACT

Dyes are useful tools for revealing flow patterns, but because analysis of dyes is time-consuming and often only qualitative, soil scientists have not used them to their full advantage. We developed a method for discriminating dyed from undyed soil in the field and for determining the dye concentration from point to point. The method requires a 35-mm camera, a specially constructed camera stand for uniform illumination during field work, and a color scanner. Working with Brilliant Blue FCF dye on a gray (chroma of one) soil, we determined dye concentrations <2.0 g L^-1 with an r² of 0.85 and a median absolute error of 0.17 g L^-1. At concentrations >2.0 g L^-1, analysis was more problematic due to dye precipitating out of solution onto the soil surface, but we obtained an r² of 0.70. Use of this method allows convenient and rapid quantitative analysis of dye concentration and other color contrast patterns.

Journal Paper no. J-17756 of the Iowa Agric. and Home Econ. Exp. Stn., Ames; Project no. 3282, and supported by Hatch Act and State of Iowa funds.