Tuesday, November 6, 2007
199-5

Precision Soil Mapping for Hydropedology-Precision Agriculture Study.

Qing Zhu1, Hangsheng Lin2, Xiaobo Zhou1, James Doolittle3, and Jun Zhang4. (1) Pennsylvania State Univ., The Pennsylvania State University, 116 ASI Building, State College, PA 16802, (2) Dept of Crop & Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State Univ., Penn State Univ., 116 ASI Bldg, University Park, PA 16802, (3) USDA-NRCS, National Soil Survey Center, 11 Campus Blvd., Suite 200, Newtown Square, PA 19073, (4) Crop and Soil Sciences, Penn State University, 116 ASI Building, University Park, PA 16802

Hydropedology and precision agriculture research evidently requires precision soil maps for investigating site-specific water movement and crop management. To advance hydropedology and hydrologic modeling, we need new ways of mapping soils over the landscape in greater detail and with higher precision. In this study, combined information of soil properties, topography, geophysical survey, crop yield, and soil water content facilitated us to generate a precision soil map. Depth to bedrock, electromagnetic induction data, and DEM derived slope were used to delineate map units of different soil series and transition zones to produce the refined soil map. After considering the specific purpose for Hydropedolgy-Precision agriculture research, a precision soil map was generated by modifying the refined soil map with depth to clay layer and A horizon texture. Result shows that the final map is better than the current second order soil map for crop yield and soil moisture management. Uncertainties associated with the process of make the refined and precision soil maps were assessed.