How can the accuracy of soil pH maps be improved?
Since the beginning of precision agriculture approach, several researchers and manufacturers pursued the development of on-the-go soil sensors to accurately map pH (and other soil properties) at a relatively low cost (On-the-Go Vehicle-Based Soil Sensors, EC02-178). Based on research conducted at Purdue University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Veris Technologies, Inc., based in Salina, Kan., launched production of the world’s first automated on-the-go soil pH mapping system in the summer of 2003. This product is called the Mobile Sensor Platform (MSP). It consists of a widely used electrical conductivity (EC) mapping unit and a Soil pH ManagerTM. During field operation, the Soil pH ManagerTM automatically collects and measures a soil sample without stopping. While mapping a field, row cleaners remove crop residue. A hydraulic cylinder on a parallel linkage retracts to lower the cutting shoe assembly into the soil, and the cutting shoe creates a soil core which flows into the
