The ARS-Missouri Soil Strength Profile Sensor: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Soil compaction that is induced by tillage and traction is an ongoing concern in crop production, and also has environmental consequences. Although cone penetrometers provide standardized compaction measurements, the pointwise data collected makes it difficult to obtain enough data to represent within-field variability. An on-the-go compaction sensor that obtains data at multiple depths would be a more efficient way to assess compaction variations. We developed the Soil Strength Profile Sensor (SSPS) to provide such on-the-go measurements of compaction to a 50-cm depth on 10-cm intervals. Performance of the SSPS has been evaluated with respect to soil physical properties and cone index, and through side-by-side comparison with two other prototype on-the-go soil strength sensors. In this paper, we review the current status of the SSPS, including its design and evaluation. We also discuss the relationship of data obtained from the SSPS to soil properties and to data obtained with penetrometers and other on-the-go soil strength sensors. Finally, we comment on the potential applications of soil strength mapping in research and production agriculture and some of the issues that must be overcome in this regard.