Strategies for Soil Sampling in Cotton Fields with Multiple Textures

One of the challenges that Missouri cotton producers face is non-uniform soil textures occurring within the same field.  Sand boils, caused by seismic activity on the New Madrid Fault Zone in 1811-1812, are common in the alluvial soils of the Upper Mississippi Delta.  Often areas of heavy clay soils are found immediately adjacent to sandy soils.  These different soil types have different responses to lime and fertilizer additions.  Several approaches to soil sampling to address this type of field variability are used by cotton producers.  They include zone, grid, and composite sampling methods. This poster will compare the results of these methods.