Monday, 7 November 2005
2

Evaluation of Land Resources for Row-Crop Research.

Philip C. Walker, Donald J. Biehle, and Stephen E. Hawkins. Purdue University, 720 West Park Dr., Columbia City, IN 46725-1620

Adoption of precision agriculture tools has created opportunities for research station managers to re-evaluate distinct land areas for use in row-crop research. In the past, land managers have relied on maps laboriously and expensively created using manual methods and the cost in time and labor of such methods could easily be an obstacle to complete detail. Knowledge of details such as the precise location of sub-surface drainage lines, field features, soil type transition zones, densely sampled soil fertility levels, evidence of previous land use and other changes can have a large impact on analysis of research results. If improperly georeferenced, these details can be missed or misinterpreted resulting in misidentification of a field's worthiness for row-crop research. Mapping of research fields has never been easier than with the geo-referencing hardware and software available today. Needed data can now be collected and collated in layers for each field or land unit allowing cost-effective interpretation of the influence of land features on research results.

Handout (.pdf format, 410.0 kb)

Back to GPS/GIS and Other Techniques for Management of Experiments on Field Stations
Back to A07 Agricultural Research Station Management

Back to The ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings (November 6-10, 2005)