developments in proximal soil sensing technologies•proximal soil sensing (pss) can effectively...

Developments in proximal soil sensing

Craig Lobsey, Raphael Viscarra Rossel

18th PA Symposium - 2015

LAND AND WATER

Outline

Developments in proximal soil sensing technologies | Craig Lobsey 2 |

• New soil measurement - Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS)

• Proximal soil sensors for PA

• Developments in soil sensing and applications

• Proximal soil sensing at CSIRO Land and Water

New soil measurement


Growing demand for good quality, inexpensive (spatial and temporal) soil information - e.g. Precision Agriculture (PA)

The new measurement techniques should more efficiently (cheap, quantitative, rapid) produce spatial & temporal soil information Sensors are good options – technology rapidly improving, sensors are becoming smaller, smarter, cheaper, wireless….

Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS)


‘…the use of field-based sensors to obtain signals from the soil when the sensor’s detector is in contact with or close to (within 2 m) the soil…’

Viscarra Rossel & McBratney (1998) Viscarra Rossel et al. (2011)





Advantages • Cheaper, many more measurements • Less effort • Quantitative • Multiple sensors • Timely, real time, monitoring • Field-conditions





Advantages • Cheaper, many more measurements • Less effort • Quantitative • Multiple sensors • Timely, real time, monitoring • Field-conditions

…however ● Can be less precise ● Can have large initial

cost ● Many are still research

phase ● Specificity

Operational Proximal Soil Sensing


PSS techniques


➔ Non-invasive

➔ Active

➔ Mobile

➔ Indirect

EMI (e.g. EM38, DUALEM)

Gamma Radiometrics (e.g. RS700)

➔ Non-invasive

➔ Passive

➔ Mobile

➔ Indirect

Optical, EC, Ech (Veris MSP)

source: veristech.com

➔ Invasive(in-situ / ex-situ)

➔ Active

➔ Mobile

➔ Indirect / Direct (pH)


Viscarra Rossel et al. (2011)

Limitations


PSS measurements are typically indirect

We require sensors that can directly measure key soil attributes of agronomic use (e.g. plant available nutrients, lime requirement, available water…)

…. and measure these properties at depth (e.g. rooting depth)

Newer developments - nutrient sensing


“Field Nutrient Sensor™” (FNS™)

No-Wait Nitrate™

Mobile on-site NO3-

analysis - UV

360 SOILSCANTM

Mobile on-site NO3-

analysis - Ech

Electrochemical nutrient sensing

project funded by GRDC up to

research prototype stage

Soil sensing @ CSIRO Land and Water


Developing the Soil Condition ANalysis System (SCANS) - an approach to overcome the difficulties of measuring soil properties to depth (root zone) Geostatistics - mapping and baselining soil carbon stocks

Soil Condition ANalysis System (SCANS)


• Field deployable scanning system • Analyse PVC lined cores from the Geoprobe®

1) Active gamma-ray attenuation Sensor (0.662 MeV)

2) Vis-NIR spectrometer

3) Camera 137Cs

NaI


Soil Condition ANalysis System (SCANS)

Soil cores analysed by the SCANS are at field condition (wet and heterogeneous)

SCANS carbon stock measurement


C fractions + Clay content

+ CEC + ….

Summary


• Proximal Soil Sensing (PSS) can effectively produce spatial and

temporal soil information for different purposes, e.g. PA,

monitoring, modelling, etc.

• Further development of sensing techniques is needed - more

direct analysis of key properties directly related to production

and that are able to measure in the root zone – e.g. nutrient

status

• We need to develop PSS to allow collection of different

properties that define the condition and function of soil

Land and Water Craig Lobsey Postdoctoral fellow

t +61 2 6246 5634 e [email protected] w www.csiro.au/clw

LAND AND WATER

Thank you Acknowledgements Our project falls under the National Soil Carbon Program,

which is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture.

We thank them for their organisation and support.

developments in proximal soil sensing technologies•proximal soil sensing (pss) can effectively...

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