Statistical and spatial variability of soil test N and P for sites in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Citation

Moulin, A.P. Khakbazan, M.A. 2018. Statistical and spatial variability of soil test N and P for sites in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Manitoba Soil Science Society Annual Meeting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Feb 1, 2018

Abstract

Soil test N and P significantly affect crop production in the Canadian Prairies, but vary considerably within and between producer's fields. This study describes the statistical and spatial variability of soil test N and P within and between producer's fields in the context of terrain attributes such as the topographic wetness index, planar and profile curvature. Soil test N and P data, and terrain attributes, were determined for fields in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Canada in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The statistical variability of soil test N and P prior to seeding, and following harvest, varied between fields and was attributed to the spatial distribution of soil properties in the landscape as influenced by the processes of management, soil formation and terrain attributes. Development of management zones for fertilizer management of crop yield will benefit from the analysis of statistical variability of soil test N and P and inclusion of terrain attributes in multivariate analyses at the field scale.

Publication date

2018-02-01

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