ARS | Publication request: SPATIAL VARIATION OF MEASURED AND MODELED SOIL PROPERTIES IN A NORFOLK SOIL

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 1, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Spatial variation within fields poses measurement challenges if one is to characterize soil properties. Further, modeling the effects of such variation creates a demand for input parameters that is not likely to be met using conventional measurement techniques. Consequently, pedo-transfer functions are often used to describe soil characteristics as functions of more-easily measured parameters. A pre-existing dataset included 144 spatial samples for sand, silt, and clay fractions, bulk density, organic carbon, total combustible nitrogen, and phosphorus. This was used to calculate soil water retention curves and hydraulic conductivity functions. Methods used included those described in the CERES-Maize and WAVE model documentation. Geostatistical analysis of measured and modeled soil parameters and their effects on crop model outputs will be presented.