01617naa a2200217 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400380006010000200009824500990011826000090021752009610022665000220118765000190120965000230122865000090125170000240126070000190128470000160130377300800131920529412016-09-16       2016    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 a10.1590/18069657rbcs201501502DOI1 aSOUZA, D. M. de  aDevelopment of alternative methods for determining soil organic matter.h[electronic resource]  c2016  aSoil organic matter (SOM) is important to fertility, since it performs several functions such as cycling, water and nutrient retention and soil aggregation, in addition to being an energy requirement for biological activity. This study proposes new trends to the Embrapa, Walkley-Black, and Mebius methods that allowed the determination of SOM by spectrophotometry, increasing functionality. The mass of 500 mg was reduced to 200 mg, generating a mean of 60 % saving of reagents and a decrease of 91 % in the volume of residue generated for the three methods without compromising accuracy and precision. We were able to optimize conditions for the Mebius method and establish the digestion time of maximum recovery of SOM by factorial design and response surface. The methods were validated by the estimate of figures of merits. Between the methods investigated, the optimized Mebius method was best suited for determining SOM, showing near 100 % recovery.  aAnálise química  aEspectrometria  aMatéria orgânica  aSolo1 aMORAIS, P. A. de O.1 aMATSUSHIGE, I.1 aROSA, L. A.  tRevista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, Viçosa, MGgv. 40, e0150150, 2016.