Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop and test a method to determine and discriminate soil classes in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, based on spectral data obtained via Landsat satellite imagery. Satellite reflectance images were extracted from 185 spectral reading points, and discriminant equations were obtained to establish each soil class within the studied area. Sixteen soil classes were analyzed, and discriminant equations that comprised TM5/Landsat sensor bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 were established. The results showed that this methodology could effectively identify individual soil classes using discriminant analyses of the spectral data obtained from the surface. Success rates of > 40% were achieved for 14 of the 16 evaluated soil classes when applying the satellite image data. When the 10 soil classes containing the largest number of minimum cartographic areas were used, the hit rate increased to > 50%, for seven soil classes with a global hit rate of 52%. When the soil classes were grouped based on their parent materials, the hit rate increased to 70%. Thus, we concluded that the spectral method for soil classification was efficient.
Highlights
In recent decades, Brazil has become a prominent worldwide leader in agricultural exports due to the expansion into new agricultural frontiers, implementation of technological improvements, and exceptional efforts to address adversities among growers
The studied area is located in the southwestern region of the state of São Paulo and is delimited by the geographical coordinates 23o0’31.37” 22o58’53.97” south latitude and 53o39’47.81” 53o37’25.65” west longitude in a region known as the Paleozoic depression (IPT, 1981)
The area studied included a variety of parent materials consisting of reworked sandstonediabase, sandstone-shale, diabase-shale materials, and a combination of all three
Summary
Brazil has become a prominent worldwide leader in agricultural exports due to the expansion into new agricultural frontiers, implementation of technological improvements, and exceptional efforts to address adversities among growers. To continue this growth, Brazil must adopt suitable practices for using and managing previously uncultivated land areas. Demattê (2001) stated that the study and implementation all available technologies regarding soil spectral analyses is of critical significance. Such studies are based on the fact that each soil presents a spectral signature according to the absorption of specific wavelengths across the entire electromagnetic spectrum (BENDOR et al, 1999)
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