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Delineation of Soil Management Zones: Comparison of Three Proximal Soil Sensor Systems Under Commercial Potato Field in Eastern Canada.
1A. Cambouris, 1I. Perron, 2B. Zebarth, 1F. Vargas, 3K. Chokmani, 4A. Biswas, 5V. Adamchuk
1. Quebec Research and Development Centre (RDC), Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Quebec City, Canada
2. Fredericton RDC, AAFC, Fredericton, Canada
3. INRS-ETE National Institute Research, Quebec City, Canada
4. University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
5. McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Canada

Precision agriculture (PA) involves optimization of seeding, fertilizer application, irrigation, and pesticide use to optimize crop production for the purpose of increasing grower revenue and protecting the environment. Potato crops (Solanum tuberosum L.) are recognized as good candidates for the adoption of PA because of the high cost of inputs. In addition, the sensitivity of potato yield and quality to crop management and environmental conditions makes precision management economically important. Subdividing agricultural fields into soil management zones (MZs) with relatively homogeneous soil properties and yield potential can be used as the basis of site-specific nutrient management. It offers an effective alternative to uniform rate applications. This study evaluated the applicability of three proximal soil sensor systems to delineate MZs in a 21-ha commercial potato field located in St. André (NB). Both Veris and Dualem instruments were utilized for the mapping of apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) in fall of 2015. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) was utilized for mapping soil dielectric constant in February 2016. Data from the three sensor systems were used to stratify the fields into MZs using an unsupervised fuzzy k-means clustering algorithm. Soil samples (0-15 cm) collected from 154 georeferenced sampling points were analyzed for key physical and chemical properties (soil organic carbon, pH, and Mehlich-3 extractable elements). The soil particle size analysis was completed only on 41 soil samples. Potato tuber yields were measured using a yield monitor in 2013, 2014, and 2016. Both sets of ECa maps were found effective in delineating MZs whereas the GPR data failed to assist in delineating MZs with relatively consistent soil attributes. The two MZs delineated with GPR did not show significant differences in potato yields. Based on the Veris and Dualem, two MZs were found to be optimal to subdivide the potato field to implement site-specific management. The MZs showed significant differences in soil water regime (soil moisture: 23.4% vs 28.5%) and in soil texture (e.g., clay: 141 g kg-1 vs 189 g kg-1). Significant differences in potato yields (e.g., 4.8, 7.6 and 10.1 Mg ha-1 for 2013, 2014 and 2016, respectively) between the two MZs were attributed to differing water supply associated with differing soil texture and soil drainage characteristics.

Keyword: Veris, Dualem, ground penetrating radar, decrease of the within-zone variance