Comparison of tristimulus spectrocolorimeter measurements and human visual assessment of South Carolina field moist Munsell soil colors

Soil color has historically been estimated visually, but inaccuracies with this method have been documented, including disagreement in evaluators, color blindness, and differences in physical color books due to weathering. As new technologies become available to soil scientists, a reliable digital method to determine soil color in the field could offer a solution to these inaccuracies. This research aimed to assess if visual estimates of soil matrix color from 111 soil horizons differed from digital measurements of Munsell soil color across three South Carolina regions. Visual estimates of soil color were conducted using Munsell color books. The XRite Capsure gave digital measurements in Munsell notation specific for soils. The absolute difference between hues was similar among assessment methods. Visual estimates of color value and chroma were statistically greater than digital measurements. However, color values and chromas were less than one chip different, suggesting no practical difference between the two assessment methods. Utilizing a digital soil color assessment tool can assist with training and validate human estimates.