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Use of Proximal Soil Sensing to Delineate Management Zones in a Commercial Potato Field in Prince Edward Island, Canada
1A. Lajili, 1A. Cambouris, 1K. Chokmani , 1I. Perron, 3B. Zebrath, 4A. Biswas , 5V. Adamchuk
1. Quebec Research and Development Centre, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Quebec City, Canada
2. INRS-ETE National Institute Research, Quebec City, Canada
3. Fredericton RDC, AAFC, Fredericton, Canada
4. University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
5. McGill University, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Canada

Management zones (MZs) are delineated areas within an agricultural field with relatively homogenous soil properties. Such MZs can often be used for site-specific management of crop production inputs. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficiency of two proximal soil sensors for delineating MZs in an 8.1-ha commercial potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) field in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. A galvanic contact resistivity sensor (Veris-3100 [Veris]) and electromagnetic induction sensors (DUALEM 21-S [D21S]) were used to measure apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) at different depths according to the specifications of each sensor. The data from the two sensors were used to delineate MZs using an unsupervised fuzzy k-means clustering algorithm. Soil samples (0–15 cm) were collected from 104 georeferenced locations and analyzed to determine the soil physicochemical properties (Mehlich-3 extractable phosphorus [P] and potassium [K], and soil texture). Based on the analysis of the soil ECa variance, two MZs were found to be optimal. There was a significant difference in soil ECa between the two MZs (Veris (0-30 cm depth): 4.4 mS·m-1 vs 6.7 mS·m-1; and D21S (0-40 cm depth): 3.1 mS·m 1 vs 4.2 mS·m-1). The MZs delineated by Veris and D21S were significantly different for P (Veris: 192 mg·kg-1 vs 212 mg·kg-1; D21S: 194 mg·kg-1 vs 215 mg·kg-1), K (Veris: 92 mg·kg-1 vs 128 mg·kg-1; D21S: 97 mg·kg-1 vs 130 mg·kg-1), sand (Veris: 690 g·kg-1 vs 625 g·kg-1; D21S: 678 g·kg-1 vs 634 g·kg-1) and clay (Veris: 78 g·kg-1 vs 96 g·kg-1; D21S: 81 g·kg-1 vs 95 g·kg-1). The low ECa zone had lower clay content, and may require site-specific irrigation to make up for the reduced soil water retention capacity. Based on the greater soil test P and K in the high ECa zone, it may be possible to reduce the P2O5 and K2O application rate in that zone. The Veris and D21S sensors were effective in delimitation of MZs for potential use with site-specific nutrient and irrigation management at this site.

Keyword: Apparent soil electrical conductivity, fuzzy k-means