Is it possible to convert soil nutrient concentrations (i.e. TN, TC, etc.) represented as a percent to a mass/mass concentration (i.e. mg/kg)? If it helps bulk density and soil core depth is also provided.
Soil test reports generally express TN and TC as a percent (%) of dry mass. As an example, if the report says soil contains 1.23% of TN, this means that there is 1.23 grams of TN in 100 grams of dry soil.
To convert TN or TC expressed in % to g/kg dry soil:
1.23% TN = (1.23/100) x 1000 = 12.3 g/kg dry soil
Paul is correct. The results as % are already on a mass/mass basis so you can manipulate the units any way you wish. But your mention of bulk density and core depth make me wonder if you may also be interested in representing the data on a different basis.
If one multiplies the percentage values with 10000,he will get the values in mg/kg,i.e ppm
Paul Milham, I plan on analyzing the data using both mass/mass and mass/volume estimates.. I just wanted to make sure I got the correct convert from % to mg/kg. Thanks again for all your help.
Nutrient concentration in plants, soil, or fertilizer can be expressed on the basis of mass as well as the amount of substance. For example, plant P concentration could be reported as 180 mmol · kg−1 P or 5.58 g · kg−1 P. Extractable nutrients in soil should be expressed as mg · kg−1, when soil is measured on a mass basis, or g · m−3, when soil is measured on a volumetric basis. Exchangeable ions determined by the usual acetate procedure on weighed samples should be expressed as mmolc· kg−1 or cmolc· kg−1.
For more details, see:
https://www.agronomy.org/files/publications/style/chapter-07.pdf
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Dr.Zenon,Good and comprehensive information for the viewers and followers of this question.
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