Soil Specific Crop Management
Research and Development Issues
Proceedings
of
Soil Specific
Crop Management
A Workshop on
Research and Development Issues
Editors
p. C.
Robert, R. H. Rust, and W. E. Larson
April 14-16, 1992
Sheraton Airport Inn
Minneapolis, MN
Conducted by the
Department of Soil Science and Minnesota Extension Service University of Minnesota
Published by:
American Society of Agronomy, Inc. Crop Science Society of America, Inc.
Soil Science Society of America, Inc. Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Copyright @ 1993 by the American Society of Agmnany, Inc.
Crop Scierx:e Society of America, Inc. Soil Scierx:e Society of America, Inc.
AU. RIGHI'S RESERVED UNDER '!HE U.S. COPYRIGHl' AC:r OF 1976 P.L. (94-553)
Any and all uses beyond the limitations of the "fair use" provision of the law requil:e written pennission fran the publisher(s) and/or the author(s); not applicable to
contrfrutions prepared by officers or atployees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties.
American Society of AgrOJony, Inc.
Crop Scierx:e Society of America, Inc. Soil Scier¥:e Society of America, Inc.
677 South Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA
r.ibJ:my of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Proceedings of soil specific crop management : a workshop on
research and develq:ment issues : April 14-16, 1992, Sheraton Airport Inn, lWmeapolis, MN / editors, P.C. Robert, R.H.
Rust, and W.E. Larson ; conducted by the Department of Soil Science and Minnesota Extension Service, University of
Minnesota •
p.
an.
ISBN 0-89118-116-4
1. Cmps and soils-cong:resses. 2. Soil management-Congl:esses. 3. Agronany-Congresses. I. Robert, P. C.
(Pier::te C.) II. Rust, Ri.chal:d H. (Ri.chal:d Hemy),
1921- • III. Larson, William E., 1921- •
IV. University of Minnesota. Dept. of Soil Scierx:e.
V. Minnesota Extension Service. S596.7.P76 1993
631.4--dc20 93-12790 CIP Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
Preface ... IX
Acknowledgements ... xi
SECTION I. SOIL RESOURCES VARIABILITY
1. Keynote Paper Origin and nature of soil resource variability. J. Bouma and P. A. Finke ... 3 2. Mapping and managing spatial patterns in soil fertility and
crop yield.
D. 1. Mulla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 15 3. Terrain analysis for soil specific crop management.
I. D. Moore, P. E. Gessler, G. A. Nielsen, and
G. A. Peterson ... 27 4. Application of soil survey information to soil specific farming.
M. 1. Mausbach, D. 1. Lytle, and L. D. Spivey ... 57 5. Working Group Report, C. S. Holzhey, Chair ... 69
SECTION
n.
MANAGING VARIABILITY6. Keynote Paper Some practical field applications.
R. E. Ascheman ... 79 7. Yield mapping and application of yield maps to computer-aided
local resource management.
E. Schnug, D. Murphy, E. Evans, S. Haneklaus,
and 1. Lamp .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 8. Tillage considerations in managing soil variability.
W. B. Voorhees, R. R. Allmaras, and
M. 1. Lindstrom ... 95 9. Weed distribution in agricultural fields.
D. A. Mortensen, G. A. Johnson, and L. 1. Young .... 113
to.
Value of managing within-field variability.F. Forcella ... 125
11. Working Group Report, R. R. Johnson, Chair 133
vi CONTENTS
SECTION HI. ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY 12. Keynote Paper Sensing and measurement technologies for site
specific management.
S. C. Borgelt ... 141 13. Positioning technology (GPS).
D. A. Tyler ... 159 14. Importance of spatial variability in agricultural decision support
systems.
G. W. Petersen, J. M. Russo, R. 1. Day, C. T. Anthony, and J. Pollack . . . .. 167 15. Working Group Report, J. Schueller, Chair ... 181
SECTION IV. PROFITABILITY 16. Keynote Paper Profitability of fanning by soils.
N. C. Wollenhaupt and D. D. Buchholz . . . .. 199 17. Cost analysis of variable fertility management of phosphorus
and potassium for potato production in central Washington.
M. W. Hammond ... 213
18. Macy Fanns - Site specific experiences.
T. S. Macy . . . 229 19. Working Group Report, D. Fairchild, Chair ... 245
SECTION V. ENVIRONMENT
20. Keynote Paper Best management practices for efficient nitrogen use in Minnesota.
G. W. Randall ... 257
21. Social issues related to soil specific crop management.
P. J. Nowak ... 269 22. Use of soil property data and computer models to minimize
agricultural impacts on water quality.
CONTENTS
vii
23. Nutrient and pesticide threats to water quality.
R. S. Marks and J. R. Ward ... 293 24. Working Group Report, W. E. Larson, Chair ... 301
SECTION VI. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 25. Keynote Paper Prescription farming.
W. Holmes ... 311 26. Illini FS variable rate technology: Technology transfer needs from
a dealer's viewpoint.
J. Mann ... 317 27. Computerized recordkeeping for variable rate technology.
J. S. Ahlrichs ... 325 28. Working Group Report, D. Buchholz, Chair. . . . .. 335
SECTION VII. POSTER SUMMARIES 29. Measuring yield on-the-go: The Minnesota experience.
K. Ault, J. A. Lamb, J. L. Anderson, and
R. H. Dowdy ... 347 30. Multi-ISFET sensors for soil nitrate analysis.
S. J. Birrell and J. W. Hummel ... 349 31. Yield variability in Central Iowa.
T. S. Colvin ... 351 32. Managing variability of climate and soil characteristics.
Characteristics in conservation tillage systems: Effects on field behavior of herbicides.
Thanh H. Dao . . . . . . .. 353 33. Soil landscape relations and their influence on yield variability
in Kent County, Ontario.
K. A. Denholm, J. D. Aspinall, E. A. Wilson, and
viii
CONTENTS34. A field infonnation system for spatially-prescriptive farming.
Shufeng Han and C. E. Goering ... 357 35. Machine vision swath guidance.
J. W. Hummel and K. E. Von Qualen 359 36. MAPS mailbox - A land and climate infonnation system.
J. S. Jacobsen, A. E. Plantenberg, G. A. Nielsen, and
J. M. Caprio . . . . . . . . . .. 361 37. Leaching and runoff of pesticides under conventional and soil
specific management.
B. R. Khakural, P. C. Robert, and D. J. Fuchs ... 363 38. Spatial regression analysis of crop and soil variability
within an experimental research field.
D. S. Long, S. D. DeGloria, D. A. Griffith,
G. R. Carlson, and G. A. Nielsen ... 365 39. Precision farm management of variable crop land in the
Pacific Northwest.
B. Miller, and R. Veseth ... 367 40. Management approaches to fertility and biological variation
in the inland Pacific Northwest.
W. Pan, B. Miller, A. Kennedy, T. Fiez, and
M. Mohammad . . . . . . . . . .. 371 41. Yield variation across Coastal Plain soil mapping units.
E. J. Sadler, D. E. Evans, W. J. Busscher, and
D. L. Karlen . . . . . . . . .. 373 42. Sensing for variability management.
K. A. Sudduth, and S. C. Borgelt 375 43. Nitrogen specific management by soil condition.
J. A. Vetsch, G. L. Malzer, P. C. Robert, and
W. W. Nelson. . . .. 377 List of Participants . . . . . . . . . . 379 Conversion Factors for SI and Non-SI Units ... 391
PREFACE
Historic agronomic practices have been developed with the farm or field as the area of management. The advent of soil conservation began to lead soil management toward topographic and soil-specific features. Even so, agronomic practices and recommendations have largely been made on a field basis rather than on soil-specific properties that might influence tillage, seeding, fertilizing and weed control practices. The near completion of detailed soil surveys nation-wide, particularly in the intensive agricultural areas, has provided a database of great magnitude. The advent of computer processed spatial data together with geostatistical analysis enables the display of those soil, hydrologic, and micro-climate features relevant to agronomic practices. With the further development of positioning systems suitable to on-site applications, the capability now exists, or can be feasibly developed to deliver real-time, real-space changes in almost any agronomic procedures. There is also much current research in sensor technology applicable to the soil condition or property, such as organic matter content, moisture content, tilth, nitrate content, and crop yields.
Given the capability to assess soil spatial variability and modify agronomic practices accordingly, we now add two other considerations, economic and environmental. Historically, application of inputs, whether seed, fertilizer, or pesticide, has been driven by maximum yields. More recently, emphasis has become maximum economic yields. Soil specific management provides the specific needed inputs on each soil and prevents over and under application of inputs resulting from uniform field applications. The realization of maximizing economic returns will encourage the adoption of this new technology.
If further incentive or justification for soil specific management were needed, the national incentive to reduce the potential for environmental contamination is of concern to all of agriculture. To the extent that application of agri-chemicals can be modified on-the-go according to the potential for retention and transmission of these materials in specific soil conditions, there can be a reduction in ground and surface water contamination and general maintenance of soil qUality.
The objectives of this workshop were to: (i) review recent and current knowledge and application technology with respect to soil specific management, (ii) outline the necessary research that will enable adoption of the full range of agronomic practices (tillage to harvest) for soil specific management, and (iii) identify development and technology transfer needs.
The workshop consisted of invited position papers on the topics of soil resources variability, managing variability, engineering technology, profitability, environment, and technology transfer. They were followed by several invited presentations detailing current research and development in each of the six areas. Participants were divided in six working groups corresponding to the same general topics and responded to discussion papers written prior to the workshop.
x PREFACE
The workshop also had several poster sessions presenting a variety of specific research and application project results.
This book contains the keynote address papers, session technical papers, working group discussion papers, and recommendations made by the six working groups. It also includes abstracts of most poster presentations.
On behalf of all participants, we wish to express our gratitude to sponsoring organizations for their support and to ASA-CSSA-SSSA for publishing this document. We also wish to express our appreciation to all speakers for their excellent presentations and to all participants who made the workshop a success. We look forward to implementing recommendations, creating an electronic bulletin board system that will facilitate the exchange of information and development of specific management concepts and associated systems, and preparing a second workshop for 1994.
P. C. Robert, co-editor R. H. Rust, co-editor W. E. Larson, co-editor
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Organizing Committee Daryl Bucholz Jonathan Chaplin H. H. Cheng Dean Fairchild Thomas Gilding C. Steven Holzhey Richard Johnson William Larson Editorial Committee Bert Bock Paul Fixen William Larson Pierre Roben, Chair Richard Rust John SchuellerCo-Sponsors and Contributors
Deere and Company, Moline, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
Robert Munson Gerald Nielsen Charles Onstad Pierre Robert, Chair Richard Rust Berlie Schmidt John Schueller
Precision Land and Climate Evaluation Systems (PLACES) Bozeman, Montana
University of Minnesota, Department of Soil Science and Minnesota Extension Service
U. S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Cooperative State Research Service Soil Conservation Service
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the sponsoring organizations.
