Estimating Soil Organic Carbon Levels in Cultivated and Native Grasslands Using Remote Sensing.

Poster Presentation at the MANAGING GLOBAL RESOURCES FOR A SECURE FUTURE

2017 Annual Meeting | October 22-25 | Tampa, FL

Section: Pedology  Estimating Soil Organic Carbon Levels in Cultivated Area Using Remote Sensing

Muhammed Koparan^a, Shaina Westhoff^a, Kunal Sood^b Douglas Malo^a

^aSouth Dakota State University, Department of Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science, Brookings, SD,57007, USA.

   ^bHP State Agriculture University, Centre for Geoinformatics Research and Training, Palampur, HP,176062, INDIA.

Presenter: Muhhammed Koparan (muhammed.koparan@jacks.sdstate.edu)

Poster Presentation Abstract

ABSTRACT

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is an important health property and the key factor for soil management, crop production, and soil quality. The objective of this study is to determine if remote sensing techniques can be used to predict SOC levels by: 1) determining how well satellite imagery remote sensing can estimate SOC levels; 2) determining how well drone imagery can estimate SOC levels; and 3) comparing measured SOC levels to estimated SOC levels from satellite and drone imagery from a variety of dates. Different bands and band combinations are being used for this study in order to reach more accurate results. The study was conducted in Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) 102B and 102C in Southeast South Dakota. The dominant soils in the area are Haplustolls, Calciustolls, and Endoaquolls formed in silty sediments, local silty alluvium, and till. Sites were selected and soil organic carbon data was collected in May 2017. SOC was measured at 0-5 cm depth. This study is examining the accuracy of the two remote sensing applications, satellite and drone imagery, to predict SOC levels and explore the best usage of remote sensing for agricultural areas.