AboutVerisSoilECMapping-Agedweb.org.docVIP

About Veris Soil EC Mapping The Veris system utilizes GPS and the proven technology of soil electrical conductivity to identify areas of contrasting soil properties. The ability to accurately map soil patterns is a powerful tool in precision farming. In non-saline soils, EC values are measurements of soil texture -- the grain size of the soil. Soil texture is directly related to water-holding capacity, cation-exchange capacity, and soil depth. These factors are critical to identify in an effective precision farming system. While EC mapping devices do not directly measure soil fertility, conductivity maps frequently relate to nutrients -- in part because the movement of mobile nutrients is related to soil texture, and also due to the effect soil physical properties have on productivity and subsequently on crop removal of nutrients. Saline soils typically show significantly elevated EC readings, making this an ideal way of planning remediation in these areas. Heres how it works: as the Veris Sensor Cart is pulled through the field, it acquires conductivity measurements at 1 second intervals and geo-references them using DGPS. When used on 60 swaths at speeds of up to 10 mph, the system produces between 80 and 120 samples per acre. The unique design of the 3100 model simultaneously collects a conductivity reading for the 0-1 and the 0-3 layers. This feature is ideal for identifying significant changes between horizons, such as claypan layers or thin topsoil overlaying rock. The data collected by the Sensor Cart is displayed on the Veris instrument panel along with the lat/long coordinates. The data file is easily downloaded from the instrument in a choice of formats compatible with virtually any ag mapping software program. This is the result: a map that clearly identifies the contrasting soils in this field. The red/orange colors indicate areas of higher conductivity—the blue/green areas are lowest conductivity. The conductivity is measured in milliSiemens/meter—a st