Application of gamma-ray transmission method for study the properties of cultivated soil

The objective of the proposed work was to apply gamma-ray transmission method for studying the properties of cultivated soil. In this study, mass attenuation coefficients, bulk density, moisture content, porosity, and field capacity are determined. Five soil samples are collected from different agriculture zones in Egypt. A high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry based on HPGe (high purity germanium) detector was employed to measure attenuation of strongly collimated monoenergetic gamma beam through soil samples. The radioactive sources used in the experiment were Am-241, Ba-133, Cs-137 and Co-60. The mass attenuation coefficients of soil samples were calculated from the transmission measurements. WinXCom program was used to calculate mass attenuation coefficients of soil samples. There is a satisfactory agreement between experimental and theoretical values. It was observed that gamma-ray transmission method is an efficient tool for studying soil parameters for agriculture purposes. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.