Characterization of the spatial heterogeneity of the agrochemical properties of arable chernozem soils in areas with a heterogeneous relief in the aspect of variable rate application

Abstract

Abstract The heterogeneous relief leads to an uneven distribution of nutrients in the redistribution of crop rotation fields, which creates the prerequisites for contamination of adjacent environments and introduces risks to the production of eco-products when applying mineral fertilizers calculated for the entire. Taking into account the uncertainty introduced by the relief into the spatial distribution of soil fertility indices increases the accuracy of the VRA maps. However, it is often moved beyond the interests of introducing precision farming technologies. In this work, using various methods of regression modeling, the characteristic of the variability of the properties of chernozem soils on two arable lands with different heterogeneous relief is given. In the area with heights from 80 to 140 m, the relief determines from 24 to 58% of the spatial variability of soil properties, and in the area with a flat relief (110-150 m), the proportion of the dispersion of soil parameters described by the relief is much lower and amounts to 13-30%. It is shown that, in areas with significant elevation differences, it is possible to use regression techniques to describe the spatial distribution of soil properties, while in leveled areas, regression models need to be supplemented with a geostatistical description of spatial heterogeneity.