Case Study of GPS Soil Sampling and GPS Nutrient Mapping for Fertilizer Required
Background - GPS soil sampling case study
Farmer in Suffolk wanted to optimize fertilizer usage on his farm
fields. He wanted more detailed information on soil fertility across his
farm fields than shown with
conventional W soil sampling.
The farm fields were normally sampled every 4 years pre sugar beet crop. So he wanted
to keep the same system but sample soils using GPS locations to provide more detailed nutrient data and the nutrient daya
presented as
GPS nutrient mapping of
nutrient availability and fertilizer recommendations. These to aid nutrient management for
the coming sugar beet crop as well as the following years barley crop.
Example of GPS Soil Sampling data -
Nutrient Map of P index , phosphorus index.
Results from analysis of soil samples
aer presented on a map of all farm fields sampled to make comparison
easy. Darker colour indicated less nutrient available in the soil and lighter colour the more fertile the soils.
GPS Soil Sampling or GPS Nutrient Mapping for Nutrient Management provides the following information:-
- Digital outline created of field boundaries and GPS data used to map locations of data samples for later display of mapped data, used to show soil results in field map.
- GPS soil sampling involves soil samples collected from each 1 ha area of every field - a sampling grid is imposed on the digital field outline, lining up with tramlines if possible to enable more easy use of results on farm.
- GPS Soil Sampling involves 16 soil cores collected from each 1 ha area of field, these are analysed as a single sample.
- Soil samples analysed for pH, P, K & Mg at NRM laboratory, Bracknell.
- Results of soil nutrient analysis were plotted within field outline as mg nutrient/l field and shown as coloured maps - the deepest colours showing greatest deficiencies. For example a GPS Nutrient map for Phosphate is shown opposite.
- Fertilizer recommendations for nutrient management shown as maps created based on nutrient analysis results and cropping.
- The total fertilizer required is calculated for precision farming UK.
More Studies on GPS
farming from Willington Crop Services.
Case study on GPS area mapping and farm
field mapping.
Case study on GPS soil sampling and nutrient mapping.
Case study on GPS yield mapping and data interpretation.
Willington Crop Services is located in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK. Working on farms with farmers in agriculture in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire in East Anglia, UK.
