Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy: A tool to characterize the composition of different types of exogenous organic matter and their behaviour in soil

► NIRS can be used for predicting various characteristics of exogenous organic matters (EOMs) on heterogeneous sample sets. ► The indicator of remaining organic C from EOMs in soil (IROC) is satisfactorily predicted with NIRS. ► Variables related to short-term C mineralization during incubations of EOMs are generally better predicted than variables related to long-term C mineralization.