DC Resistivity and Electromagnetic Induction Techniques for Soil Characterization in the Agriculture Land (Case Study in Cidadap, West Bandung, West Java)

Abstract

ABSTRACTS Precision farming or precision agriculture is generally defined as information- and technology-based methods used for agricultural optimization. This concept can be applied to increase crop production and minimize the effect of the massive fertilizer use on the environment. The implementation of precision farming develops specific rules based on soil and hydrogeological properties that allow farmers to obtain more information for their crop management. This study used direct Current (DC) geoelectrical and electromagnetic (EM) methods to get the land’s water distribution data by measuring the soil’s resistivity and conductivity. Both methods are best used on preliminary surveys of precision farming because this method could measure the resistivity and conductivity of subsurface properties in the field and green environmental techniques. Measurements were made on agricultural land located in Parompong, Lembang, West Java. ARES II was used to measure the resistivity value, while EM38-MK2 was used to measure the conductivity value. From the processing results and its correlation with the pit test, the resistivity values were obtained in the 15-170 Ω.m range, while the conductivity values were 2-115 mS/m. There are good correlations between geophysical data and test pit data, which correspond to the resistive layers at a depth of 0.75 m and the conductive part at a depth of 1.5 m. DC Geoelectrical and EM methods are used to see the fertility distribution on agricultural land.