Problem of Soil Drainage Capacity Identification Using Soil Clustering and Development of a New Drainage Criterion: The Case of Cranberry Fields.

Over the last few years, advances in the knowledge of cranberry field hydrology has led to substantial increase in production. Much of this progress was obtained from the relationship between drainage capacity and soil profile properties. However, drainage problems can occur and an appropriate diagnosis remains essential for making recommendations adapted to each soil type. The objectives of this study were to: (1) group soil profiles under cranberry production and (2) identify diagnostic variables related to drainage capacity. To diagnose and categorize drainage capacity, profiles were characterized for many physicochemical and hydraulic properties using a cluster analysis. Results indicate that a criterion can be defined and used to assess drainage capacity with respect to a soil classification scheme based on physicochemical and hydraulic properties. The methodology developed in this study provides a framework to identify local drainage problem and suggest solutions based on soil characteristics.