Mapping shallow underground features that influence site-specific agricultural production

Abstract

Modern agricultural production practices are rapidly evolving in the United States of America (USA). These new production practices present significant applications for nonintrusive subsurface imaging. One such imaging technology is GPR, and it is now being incorporated within site-specific agriculture in the detection of soil horizons, perched water (episaturation), fragipans, hydrological preferential flow paths, and soil compaction. These features traditionally have been mapped by soil scientists using intrusive measurements (e.g., soil augers, soil pits, coring tools). Rather than developing a tool for soil mapping, our studies are targeting the identification, dimensioning, and position of subsurface features that directly influence agricultural productivity. It is foreseen that this information will allow for an increase in agricultural efficiency through infield machinery automation, and it will also greatly enhance development of highly efficient crop production strategies. The field sensing methodologies that we have developed using existing geophysical technologies are highly dependent upon both the soil and site characteristics due to seasonal variations. The GPR applications presented herein were conducted primarily in a region of loess soil that extends east of the Mississippi River into western Tennessee. GPR studies were also conducted in central Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau within a region of shallow, sandy loam soils. Additional studies were conducted on the karst area of central Kentucky. Although targeting site-specific agriculture, our results and procedures may benefit the traditional users of GPR technology. We suggest that large-scale agricultural applications of the technology would be enhanced by integrating global positioning (GPS) technology in future hardware and software products.