Pedosphere 17(2): 156--164, 2007
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2007 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Delineation of site-specific management zones based on temporal and spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity |
LI Yan1,2 , SHI Zhou1 and LI Feng3 |
1 Institute of Agricultural Remote Sensing and Information Technology Application, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China). E-mail: liyan522@zju.edu.cn;
2 Institute of Land Science and Property Management, College of Southeast Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China);
3 Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| A coastal saline field of 10.5 ha was selected as the study site and 122 bulk electrical conductivity (ECb) measurements were performed thrice in situ in the topsoil (0-20 cm) across the field using a hand held device to assess the spatial variability and temporal stability of the distribution of soil electrical conductivity (EC), to identify the management zones using cluster analysis based on the spatiotemporal variability of soil EC, and to evaluate the probable potential for site-specific management in coastal regions with conventional statistics and geostatistical techniques. The results indicated high coefficients of variation for topsoil salinity over all the three samplings. The spatial structure of the salinity variability remained relatively stable with time. Kriged contour maps, drawn on the basis of spatial variance structure of the data, showed the spatial trend of the salinity distribution and revealed areas of consistently high or consistently low salinity, while a temporal stability map indicated stable and unstable regions. On the basis of the spatiotemporal characteristics, cluster analysis divided the site into three potential management zones, each with different characteristics that could have an impact on the way the field was managed. On the basis of the clearly defined management zones it was concluded that coastal saline land could be managed in a site-specific way. |
| Key Words: coastal saline field, management zone, soil electrical conductivity, spatial variability, temporal variability |
| Citation: Li, Y., Shi, Z. and Li, F. 2007. Delineation of site-specific management zones based on temporal and spatial variability of soil electrical conductivity. Pedosphere. 17(2): 156-164. |
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