Developing a strategy for precision soil sampling
By Elizabeth Hawkins, Greg LaBarge, Harold D. Watters, CPAg/CCA, John Fulton, Steve Culman, Ohio State University Extension
There are many different tools and approaches available that, if used correctly, can help to improve your nutrient management (variable rate application, precision placement, crop sensing via NDVI, late-season application, nutrient BMPs, etc). However, selecting the correct tools and using them to your advantage is not always an easy process, since the best tool and the best approach can vary by farmer and field. The key to a successful soil fertility program is to identify your goals and develop a plan to meet those goals each season. Identifying both short and long term goals make it possible to develop a strategy to use precision technologies to systematically improve your soil fertility program. Some goals you may consider are:
1. Improve mapping of field variation that affects soil fertility
2. Maximize the economic return of fertilizer applications
3. Reduce off-site movement of nutrients
Selecting A Soil Sampling Approach
One of the most important decisions that you will make as part of your fertility program is how to divide (the area within a field boundary) a field into representative areas and what the area represents yield soil type etc. Currently, there are two widely used methods: grid and zone sampling. Deciding between the two is not as simple as it may seem, since these methods require different sampling techniques, different analysis, and different applications. It is important to keep your fertility program goals in mind when making this decision.
Grid Sampling
Grid sampling involves taking samples at regular intervals across the landscape of a field. Grid size is selected to provide the desired data resolution. A 2.5-acre grid size is commonly used (360 by 360 feet); however, choosing ....(To continue reading, click the link below):
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