Rasch Model-Based Zone Delineation for Olive Orchard Management.

Abstract

Delineation of management zones in an olive orchard located in Badajoz, southwestern Spain was performed using the Rasch model. The objective was to obtain objective measures of production potential based on nine soil properties: soil apparent electrical conductivity, clay, sand, and silt content, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium, and cation exchange capacity. A total of 40 locations in the field were assessed, and the model integrated the soil properties to rank the locations according to their soil production potential. The influence of each individual soil property on the production potential was also determined. Any anomalies in the soil samples or properties were highlighted, providing information for site-specific treatments and enhancing cost-effectiveness and sustainability in field management. Geostatistical algorithms were employed to estimate and map soil production potential, enabling the delineation of management zones in the field based on a rational basis. Keywords: predictive map, probabilistic model, soil production, Extremadura, olive tree.