Many farmers prefer applying inputs based on the results of lab tests. Additionally, in many countries, farmers are obliged to conduct soil sampling by the government. OneSoil Pro helps meet this need, too! 👩🌾🧑🔬
Check out this article to learn how you can create a soil sampling map. Read this article to see how to visualize soil test results.
In the following section, we'll discuss how to create VRA maps based on soil analysis results that have been uploaded to OneSoil.
When you start creating a VRA map, first select the operation that you want to perform, then choose the source you want to use to create the map. If you've previously loaded soil analysis data, you'll find this option in the list.
There are some differences on the map creation page if you build the map based on soil sampling results:
You need to choose a specific nutrient to use to create zones.
Specify the analysis upload date (if multiple uploads are available).
On the left side, you see the map that's being created. On the right side, you see the layer used as the basis for the map. The boundaries of calculated zones are marked in black, and the borders between sampling zones with nutrient values are marked in white. Gray filling is applied to the zones where samples weren't taken.
💡 When uploading soil sampling results in OneSoil, you're given the choice to specify units and the method used for conducting the analysis. If you skipped this step, it’s possible to edit this on the ‘Data’ tab.
When units and method are specified for a file, we determine ranges of nutrient values (classes).
If you've previously chosen the units and method:
By default, the number of zones equals the number of classes with actual nutrient values in the field
You can change the number of zones by selecting from two to seven zones. The algorithm will define zones’ thresholds within the classes' values.
This is what the threshold setup looks like if you've previously chosen units and a method:
If you haven't specified units and the method before:
By default, we build 3 zones.
You can change the number of zones by selecting from two to seven zones.
We define zones' thresholds using the quantile method.
This is what the threshold setup looks like if you haven't previously chosen units and a method:
You can adjust thresholds on the chart by moving the sliders or you can manually input the needed value. The beginning of Zone 1 is always the minimum value, and the end of the last zone is always the maximum value.
The rest of the map creation process is the same. Specify the input type and name, then add rates. For each zone, we show the area and the percentage of the whole field area, along with the range of nutrient content.
If there are any empty zones (zones where samples weren't taken), they are combined into a separate zone. We don't show thresholds for this zone, but we let you set the rate there if you like.
You can also create a trial if the map is built for 3/5/7 zones. Learn more about control strips and trials in this article.
💡 In the 'Prescription maps' tab, we currently use 3 colors to differentiate maps based on different sources:
Purple is for maps based on productivity zones.
Blue is for maps based on an NDVI image.
Green is for maps based on any user-uploaded data layer.
Building a map is the first step in setting up a trial. To find out how different rates affect yield in each productivity zone, we need to build control strips. This will provide you with insights into which zone(s) requires more seeds or fertilizer and which zone(s) can have less.
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You're almost done with the trial set-up!
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