Soil Mapping Long Term Rotation Studies with a Multiple Sensor Cone Penetrometer.

Two long-term rotation studies were mapped using the Trimble Soil Information System (SIS) to determine soil properties across tillage and rotation treatments. The Trimble system analyzes physical and chemical properties of soils to 1.2-m deep, providing many soil physical, chemical, textural, and structural details not available from traditional soil surveys. SIS uses advanced sensors, soil coring, and data analysis to produce high resolution, accurate soil and topographic soil maps that describe soil properties with more than 60 data layers. The SIS evaluation begins by developing a high-resolution topography map and an electromagnetic conductivity survey to identify variability patterns. Selected rotation and tillage treatments were then probed with the SIS penetrometer to measure detailed soil properties such as soil texture, compaction, root zone depth, moisture retention and availability, soil fertility, and other factors. Soil property data will be presented on ten corn-soybean rotations across two tillage treatments and on 14 corn-soybean-wheat rotations. Comparisons of soil properties between rotation and tillage treatments will be illustrated with 3-D maps.