Abstract
Since conventional sampling and laboratory soil analysis do not provide a cost effective capability for obtaining geo-referenced measurements with adequate frequency, different on-the-go sensing techniques have been attempted. One such recently commercialized sensing system combines mapping of soil electrical conductivity and pH. The concept of direct measurement of soil pH has allowed for a substantial increase in measurement density. In this publication, soil pH maps, developed using on-the-go technology and obtained for eight production fields in six US states, were compared with corresponding maps derived from grid sampling. It was shown that with certain field conditions, on-the-go mapping can significantly increase the accuracy of soil pH maps and therefore increase the potential profitability of variable rate liming. However, in many instances, these on-the-go measurements need to be calibrated to account for a field-specific bias. After calibration, the overall error estimate for soil pH maps produced using on-the-go measurements was less than 0.3 pH, while non-calibrated on-the-go and conventional field average and grid-sampling maps produced errors greater than 0.4 pH.
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Acknowledgments
This publication is a contribution of the University of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. This research was supported in part by funds provided through the Hatch Act and through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program of USDA.
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Adamchuk, V.I., Lund, E.D., Reed, T.M. et al. Evaluation of an on-the-go technology for soil pH mapping. Precision Agric 8, 139–149 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-007-9034-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-007-9034-0