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Estimation of Soil Textural Features from Soil Electrical Conductivity Recorded Using the EM38

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Abstract

Soil maps identifying spatial distributions of soil textural features are needed to implement precision agriculture in practice. This study examined the use of soil electrical conductivity recalculated to a soil temperature of 25 °C (EC25) to generate a soil textural map. The examinations were conducted at 16 soil monitoring sites distributed throughout the State of Brandenburg (Germany) which has 1.35 Mha farmland. Descriptions of 413 soil profiles already existed for these sites. They were the basis for calculating the textural features of weighted clay content, weighted silt content and soil textural class type. The soil electrical conductivity was measured using the EM38 instrument at the same locations and under defined measuring conditions. If gleysols were excluded, the coefficient of determination for the regression function between weighted clay content and EC25 was 0.55. A factor score comprising weighted clay and silt contents showed a closer connection with the EC25 (R 2 = 0.67). This means that the weighted silt content also influenced soil electrical conductivity. EC25-values between 0 and 10 mS/m could be allocated to sand or loamy sand profiles, EC25-values between 10 and 20 mS/m to sand or loamy sand over loam profiles, and EC25-values between 20 and 30 mS/m to sandy loam or loam profiles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agricultural Engineering Bornim, 14469, Potsdam, Germany;

    H. Domsch & A. Giebel

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  1. H. Domsch
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  2. A. Giebel
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Domsch, H., Giebel, A. Estimation of Soil Textural Features from Soil Electrical Conductivity Recorded Using the EM38. Precision Agriculture 5, 389–409 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PRAG.0000040807.18932.80

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PRAG.0000040807.18932.80

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