Firstly, you need to identify the area where you want to assess the heavy metal content. This could be a specific field, a part of a field, or multiple fields.
Once you have identified the sampling area, you should collect samples. For each sampling area, take 15 to 20 uniform cores or slices approximately 6 inches deep. Place them in a clean bucket, mix the soil well, and place about 1 pint of the mixture into a soil sample box.
Determining the optimum sampling number is a critical issue to achieve credible results when surveying heavy metals in soil. The distribution of soil heavy metal concentration approximately follows a log-normal distribution. Therefore, you might need to use a model that can handle this type of distribution. One such model is the OSN by ordinary least squares (OSN_OLS), which is computationally simple and straightforward. It adjusts the classic log-normal equation without relying on consulting the adjusted Student t-tables for a noncentralized data distribution. Compared with other OSN determining equations, sampling numbers by OSN_OLS were closer to optimum numbers and effectively avoided the risk of overestimation or underestimation. After collecting the samples, you should analyze them in a laboratory to determine the heavy metal content. The heavy metal content can be calculated using the formula: Heavy metals (mg kg^-1) = Instrumental reading x volume of ABDTPA/weight of soil sample (g).Finally, use the results of your analysis to make informed decisions about land use or remediation.
Thank you for your appreciated response and explanation. I wanted to know if I could send you a private message to explain the details of my work so that you could help me determine the number of samples
That depends upon the type of element you intend to assess. If it is rare earth element or elements which are generally found in low quantity, a greater amount od soil i.e., 1-2 gm will be required. Whereas, if elements i.e., Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg which are generally found in greater quantity in soil, then 200-250 mg of soil will be sufficient. You should be also careful to limit the final digested volume to 10-15 ml.
Esta en función de la superficie del campo a muestrear y de la homogeneidad en cuanto a características topográficas y composicion físico - química del suelo.
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