Comparing soil colour using colour chart and colour app: A semi-quantitative approach with data transformation Using pedometric methods

Abstract

This study aimed to explore an affordable and easily accessible alternative to the Munsell colour system, while also assessing the reliability of data output from the Munsell colour chart when used by two different  individuals. The research involved the reevaluation of 28 stored soil samples using both the Munsell colour system and a soil colour app installed on an android phone. The resulting data was then analyzed and compared with the existing soil colour data. Three models emerged from this study: the existing soil colour data generated using the Munsell colour system (referred to as MCS1), the data produced by this study using the Munsell colour system (referred to as MCS2), and the data generated using the soil colour capture (referred to as SCC) app. All three sets of data were transformed from qualitative to semiquantitative and ultimately to quantitative data using pedometric techniques. These transformed data sets were subjected to both semiquantitative and statistical analyses. Comparison between MCS1 and MCS2 revealed that 46.43% of samples shared the same colour family, 25% had a similar colour family, and 28.57% displayed dissimilar colours. Similarly, when comparing MCS1 and SCC, 21.43% shared the same colour family, 42.86% had a similar colour family, and 35.71% exhibited dissimilar colours. Comparing MCS2 and SCC, 35.71% shared the same colour family, 39.29% had a similar colour family, and 25% showed dissimilar colours. Further analysis indicated a significant non-linear association between MCS1 and MCS2, suggesting that their mean values were not directly comparable. Similarly, MCS1 exhibited a significant negative correlation with SCC. The calculated p-values for these relationships were below 0.5, specifically 0.2908, 0.3848 and 0.4843 for MCS1, MCS2 and SCC, respectively. Therefore, the null hypotheses were rejected. With a significance level (p-value) greater than 0.05, the study concluded that the mean values derived from MCS1 versus MCS2, MCS1 versus SCC, and MCS2 versus SCC were not identic .