Soil Sampler for Large Cores with minimAl Disturbance
VSI Soil Core Sampler. We offer complete sets of soil coring equipment, manufactured according to long-term experience and field approved. The soil core sampling tool is used to collect minimally undisturbed, large cores for soil profile description, soil sampling for physico-chemical analyses, root biomass determination, and other environmental investigations including sampling for morphometric soil horizons, pollutants, microbes and soil fauna. For quick topsoil sampling (in "softer" soils), the VSI Topsoil & Root Corer is recommended. Soil ring samplers allow for most volume-correct sampling for soil density determinations in profile pits.
VSI Soil Core Sampler - Specifications
Standard VSI Soil Corer Sets include:
- 50, 70, 90 or 110 cm long soil corer manufactured from stainless steel at three standard diameters (80, 68 or 58 mm outer diameter) with
- replaceable crown / cutting shoe (hardened metal), and an extra crown (+screws)
- handle to pull the corer out,
- plastic pusher to extract the soil sample after sampling,
- vibration absorbing drive head, used to drive the sampling tube into the soil, and
- soft-head hammer.
Soil samples are easily removed from the VSI soil core sampler because the crown has a slightly smaller internal diameter than the tube. The crowns are hardened and can be replaced in the field. The soil sampling kit is supplied in a practical and robust carrying case. Each item can be ordered separately at a competitive price. The crown and corer tube diameter, length etc. can be adapted to needs e.g. allowing to use the system also for tight minirhizotron tube installation. See the pdf document below for detailed specifications of the soil corers, the different sets, part lists, and a brief preparation and operation manual. Please enquire for other corer dimensions and accessories.
Soil corer - Details
Images for illustration purposes only, design subject to change without notice
Selected Publications using the VSI Soil Corer
- Ahmed, I. U., et al. (2022). "Land-use change depletes quantity and quality of soil organic matter fractions in Ethiopian highlands." Forests 13(1): 69.
- Doetterl, S., et al. (2021). "Organic matter cycling along geochemical, geomorphic, and disturbance gradients in forest and cropland of the African Tropics–project TropSOC database version 1.0." Earth System Science Data 13(8): 4133-4153.
- Wilken, F., et al. (2021). "Assessing soil redistribution of forest and cropland sites in wet tropical Africa using 239+ 240 Pu fallout radionuclides." SOIL 7(2): 399-414.