Mapping management zones in a sandy pasture soil using an objective model and multivariate techniques
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Mapping management zones in a sandy pasture soil using an objective model and multivariate techniques F. J. Moral1 · F. J. Rebollo2 · J. M. Serrano3 · F. Carvajal4 Accepted: 16 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Soils occupied by dryland pastures usually have low fertility but can exhibit a high spatial variability. Consequently, logical application of fertilisers should be based on an appropriate knowledge of spatial variability of the main soil properties that can affect pasture yield and quality. Delineation of zones with similar soil fertility is necessary to implement sitespecific management, reinforcing the interest of methods to identify these homogeneous zones. Thus, the formulation of the objective Rasch model constitutes a new approach in pasture fields. A case study was performed in a pasture field located in a montado (agrosilvopastoral) ecosystem. Measurements of some soil properties (texture, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, cation exchange capacity and soil apparent electrical conductivity) at 24 sampling locations were integrated in the Rasch model. A classification of all sampling locations according to pasture soil fertility was established. Moreover, the influence of each soil property on the soil fertility was highlighted, with the clay content the most influential property in this sandy soil. Then, a clustering process was undertaken to delimit the homogeneous zones, considering soil pasture fertility, elevation and slope as the input layers. Three zones were delineated and vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI, and normalized difference water index, NDWI) and pasture yield data at sampling locations were employed to check their differences. Results showed that vegetation indices were not suitable to detect the spatial variability between zones. However, differences in pasture yield and quality were evident, besides some key soil properties, such as clay content and organic matter.
* F. J. Moral [email protected] 1
Departamento de Expresión Gráfica, Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales, Universidad de Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas S/N, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
2
Departamento de Expresión Gráfica, Escuela de Ingenierías Agrarias, Universidad de Extremadura, Carretera de Cáceres S/N, 06007 Badajoz, Spain
3
Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Escola de Ciências E Tecnologia, Instituto de Ciências Agrárias E Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), Universidade de Évora, Apartado 94, 7002‑554 Évora, Portugal
4
Departamento de Ingeniería, Centro de Investigación Mediterráneo de Economía Y Desarrollo Sostenible (CIMEDES), Universidad de Almería, La Cañada de San Urbano, s/n, 04120 Almería, Spain
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Precision Agriculture
Keywords Pasture · Rasch model · Soil fertility · Homogeneous zones
Introduction The agrosilvopastoral ecosystem in the southwestern part of the Iberian peninsula, called dehesa in Spain or montado in Portugal, constitutes a unique Mediterranean evergreen o
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