Nitrogen in humic and fulvic acid fractions from a volcanic soil under pine: recovery efficiency of two extractants

The nitrogen content of humic and fulvic acid fractions recovered in parallel with sodium hydroxide and a mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium pyrophosphate from a volcanic soil under pine was determined. Despite minor differences for some horizons, the values found by the two methods were similar. Furthermore, the ratio between the N contents in the humic and fulvic acid fractions (Nh : Nf) was independent of the nature of the extractant. This fact and the facility of the determination suggest investigating if the Nh: Nf ratio can be used as indicator for the quality of soil organic matter.