Precision Agriculture

Abstract

Soil mapping is one of the key practices associated with site-specific management. Grid sampling at densities of approximately 1 ha provides useful yet insufficient information about the spatial variation in soil fertility. Therefore, an automated soil sensing system for on-the-go mapping of soil pH, potassium and residual nitrate has been developed. The method is based on using commercial flat-surface ion-selective electrodes to perform measurements of corresponding ion activities on naturally moist soil samples. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the automated soil mapping system by comparing results with reports from commercial soil laboratories. While automated mapping of soil pH is advantageous, future investigation into the potential for potassium and nitrate on-the-go mapping is needed.