Color is a key feature used in the identification and classification of soils.
Soil reflectance has a direct relationship with soil color, as well as to other parameters such as texture, soil moisture and organic matter. Earlier studies have quantified the relationship between reflectance and soil color using simple linear regression equations having correlation coefficients of about 0.5. In the present study, a method called optimal rotational transformation technique has been employed to maximize the correlation between soil color and transformed reflectance. Seventy six soil samples having a wide range of soil color were employed in the laboratory measurements. Multi-spectral reflectances were measured using an Exotech radiometer in the visible and near infrared bands of Landsat MSS sensor, and soil color was measured using the Munsell color charts.