Using Field spectroscopy for detecting soil properties for Site Specific Management in arid region

Abdelaziz A. Belal^a, Abdelraouf M. Ali^a,

^aNational Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), Cairo, Egypt

belalabd@gmail.com

Abstract: In recent years, Precision Farming (PF) is a new trend for developing the agriculture processes to increase the productivity of crops with saving efforts and costs. Site Specific Management (SSM) is considered as an important factor of PF application. SSM depends on the accuracy of assessment of soil characteristics which is used for managing sustainable soil functions. SSM assessment has numerous applications for managing sustainable soil function. Field  spectroscopy is a modern tool for studying soil and crop characteristics. The main objectives of this paper was to studied the relationships between physiochemical soil properties and field spectroscopy and the relationships between wheat yield  and soil fertility. This aim was achieved by select one pivot in Six October company with an area 63 hectares, East Nile Delta, Egypt, 20 surface soil samples were collected and produce multiple linear regression model (MLR) between physiochemical soil properties and field spectrometer as well as MLR between wheat yield data and soil fertility in the study area. In this status, 20 physiochemical soil properties were used to did these relationships and seven soil fertility were used to did the relationships with wheat crop yield. Many statistical procedures, including a principal component analysis (PCA), multiple linear regression model (MLR), were used. Correlation co-efficient between actual and predicted between physiochemical soil properties (Sand, Silt, Clay, pH, ECe, CaCO3, N, P, K, Ca++, Na+, Mg++, K+, Cl-, HCO3-, SO4=, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe) and spectroscopy data of coefficient of determination  (R2) were R2 = 0. 0.88, 0.27, 0.75, 0.87, 0.72, 0.93, 0.39, 0.8, 0.10, 0.71, 0.17, 0.79, 0.66, 0.79, 0.78, 0.78, 0.76, 0.90, 0.87  respectively. On the hand Correlation co-efficient between actual and predicted between wheat crop yield and soil fertility (N, P, K , Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe) were (R2)= 0.914, 0.799,and 0.948 respectively. It is complemented that the VIS-NIR-SWIR spectroscopy study  can be effectively tool for studied soil properties. Also, MLR is a good tool for detecting the relationships between crop yield and soil properties.

Keywords: Remote Sensing, SSM, Spectroscopy, MLR, Soil properties, Wheat yield