Thursday, January 11, 2007 - 2:30 PM

Use of Veris Soil EC Sensor for Mapping Soil Texture in Georgia Cotton Fields

C. D. Perry1, George Vellidis1, Wynn Page1, Andrea Milton1, and Dana Sullivan2. (1) University of Georgia - Tifton Campus, Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department, 2329 Rainwater Rd, Tifton, GA 31794, (2) TurfScout® LLC, 2316 RAINWATER ROAD, Tifton, GA 31794

Apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) has been one of the most reliable techniques to characterize field variability for Precision Ag purposes. Within-field soil differences and spatial variability of crop yield have been identified using soil ECa measurements. However, most research on the use of ECa data in Precision Ag has been in the MidWest and Plains states. Results will be presented from a two-year study (2005-2006) conducted in south Georgia to compare ECa with lab texture analysis for several representative cotton fields. The Veris 3100 soil EC sensor was operated in 5 fields each year. Management zones were delineated using the ECa data from the Veris sensor and then soil cores (3 ft) were taken in each management zone. The cores were divided into subsamples and then a complete particle size distribution for each core subsample was determined using the basic hydrometer method. Particle size data were grouped into sand, silt, and clay according to the USDA standard. For the second year's cores, sand fraction will also be presented. Statistics will be provided to indicate how well ECa data compared with lab texture results.


Recorded presentation