Exploring the spatial relations between soil properties and electro-magnetic induction (EMI) and the implications for management

Frogbrook, Z. L., Oliver, M. A. and Derricourt, K. E. (2003) Exploring the spatial relations between soil properties and electro-magnetic induction (EMI) and the implications for management. In: 4th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, Berlin, Germany, pp. 217-222.

Abstract/Summary

The relations between soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and top- and sub-soil physical properties were examined for an arable field in England. The correlation coefficients between ECa and the soil particle size fractions were large and their cross variograms showed that the coregionalization was also strong. The coregionalization was stronger for the subsoil properties than for the topsoil, the reverse to the correlation coefficients. The relations between ECa and some soil properties, such as clay and water content, appear complex and emphasize that a map of ECa cannot substitute for sampling the soil.