Spatial Variability of Soil Properties and Its Effect on Maize Yields within Field—A Case Study in Hungary

Abstract

To better understand the potential of soils, understanding how soil properties vary over time and in-field is essential to optimize the cultivation and site-specific technologies in crop production. This article aimed at determining the within-field mapping of soil chemical and physical properties, vegetation index, and yield of maize in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2013, and 2017, respectively. The objectives of this five-year field study were: (i) to assess the spatial and temporal variability of attributes related to the maize yield; and (ii) to analyse the temporal stability of management zones. The experiment was carried out in a 15.3 ha research field in Hungary. The soil measurements included sand, silt, clay content (%), pH, phosphorous (P2O5), potassium (K2O), and zinc (Zn) in the topsoil (30 cm). The apparent soil electrical conductivity was measured in two layers (0–30 cm and 30–90 cm, mS/m) in 2010, in 2013, and in 2017. The soil properties and maize yields were evaluated in 62 management zones, covering the whole research area. The properties were characterized as the spatial-temporal variability of these parameters and crop yields. Classic statistics and geostatistics were used to analyze the results. The maize yields were significantly positively correlated (r = 0.62–0.73) with the apparent electrical conductivity (Veris_N3, Veris_N4) in 2013 and 2017, and with clay content (r = 0.56–0.81) in 2002, 2013, and 2017.

Keywords

• soil chemical and physical properties
• spatial and temporal variability
• maize yield maps
• management zones
• precision agriculture