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Delinearing site-specific management zones for pH-induced iron chlorosis

Kyaw, T. and Ferguson, R.B. and Adamchuk, V.I. and Marx, D.B. and Tarkalson, D.D. and McCallister, D.L. (2008) Delinearing site-specific management zones for pH-induced iron chlorosis. Precision Agriculture. 9:71-84.

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Abstract

Iron chlorosis can limit crop yield, especially on calcareous soil. Typical management for iron chlorosis includes the use of iron fertilizers or chlorosis tolerant cultivars. Calcareous and non-calcareous soil can be interspersed within fields. If chlorosis-prone areas within fields can be predicted accurately, site-specific use of iron fertilizers and chlorosis-tolerant cultivars might be more profitable than uniform management. In this study, the use of vegetation indices (VI) derived from aerial imagery, on-the-go measurement of soil pH and apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) were evaluated for their potential to delineate chlorosis management zones. The study was conducted at six sites in 2004 and 2005. There was a significant statistical relationship between grain yield and selected properties at two sites (sites 1 (2005) and 3), moderate relationships at sites 2 and 4, and weak relationships at site 5. For sites 1 (2005) and 3, and generally across all sites, yield was predicted best with the combination of NDVI and deep ECa. These two properties were used to delineate chlorosis management zones for all sites. Sites 1 and 3 showed a good relationship between delineated zones and the selected properties, and would be good candidates for site-specific chlorosis management. For site 5, differences in the properties between mapped zones were small, and the zones had weak relationships to yield. This site would be a poor candidate for site-specific chlorosis management. Based on this study, the delineation of chlorosis management zones from aerial imagery combined with soil ECa appears to be a useful tool for the site-specific management of iron chlorosis.

Item Type: Article
NWISRL Publication Number: 1251
Subjects: Soil > Calcareous soil
Soil > Amendments > Fertilizer
Depositing User: Users 6 not found.
Date Deposited: 17 Jul 2008 20:36
Last Modified: 19 Oct 2016 19:02
Item ID: 1275
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/1275