Precision Soil Mapping

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In order to produce the amount of food required for an ever expanding population, farmers need to maximumise yield while minimising input costs. Precision farming - a concept based on responding to spatial and temporal differences within fields - has been adopted as a key tool by approximately one quarter of all arable farmers in the UK. It is thought that another 25% utilise some precision techniques but are not currently managing the differences within their fields, but rather just recording data. Studies have shown that variably applying seed and fertiliser, based on different soil properties, consistently give positive results. A two year experiment of variable rate nitrogen fertilisation at Cranfield University proved that detailed maps of soil fertility collected with an on-line soil sensor can result in £50 per ha. net profit to the farmer when integrated with data on crop growth. Similarly, research from the Intelligent Precision Farming (IPF), one of AgSpace's software customers, has shown variably applying seed can produce 34% more yield. However, implementation of precision farming has traditionally been a labour intensive process thus making it cost prohibitive for many growers. The current practice of precision agriculture lacks high resolution, low cost soil maps that would enable farmers to manage in-field variations. With current advances in proximal and remote sensing technology and modelling of multi-data resources, it is possible to produce these maps to enable the implementation of advanced precision farming products on a wider scale, making them affordable to a larger market. To increase yields to the levels being discussed by the Royal Society (60% by 2050) requires a collaborative approach.This large scale collaborative project aims to integrate satellite data with the UK's most comprehensive soil datasets to produce a 'precision soil map'. The map so produces would present an economically viable alternative to current soil survey methods, while making use of these existing datasets. The level of data and technology available presents a very exciting proposal for arable and vegetable farming to embrace precision farming, enabling them to increase production efficiency, with reduced environmental impacts and at lower input costs. The reduction of environmental impacts will be largely achieved by reducing the amount of agrochemicals applied into the soil, so benefiting ground waters and surface runoff.AgSpace will provide the raw satellite data for this project, and also ground-truthed data gathered from experimental farms. Cranfield University and the James Hutton Institute will provide access to England and Wales and the Scottish soils datasets, respectively. The project final product is a 'precision soil map' accessible to farmers at a resolution unrivaled in the UK. The new soil management zone map will enhance farmers' understanding of their own soil and will provide an economical route into the implementation of precision farming, which this consortium contends is one of the most important issues in combating yield shortages.