Soil surveys encompass old and new tools of trade

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

Participants talk about various topics given at the 2004 Soil Survey and Land Resource Workshop. -Staff photo by Spikes

Feb. 19, 2004 -- Taking a soil survey requires two things: soil scientists and tools. When a scientist goes out to the landscape and exposes the soil, they need to use the best tools that they have available in order to take the survey.

At the 2004 Soil Survey and Land Resource Workshop, which was held Feb. 12-13 in College Station, the topic of combining new technologies with established tools for an efficient soil survey was addressed by Lynn Loomis. Loomis is with the United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resource Conservation Services, in Marfa.

"There are new technologies to help with taking soil surveys, but remember you can't afford to throw away the old tools you have available," Loomis stated.

A new program that is available is the Windows Pedon. The objective of this program, he explained, is to record the soil one time electronically in the field in order to get a more accurate and detailed description. "My recommendation is to develop within this program an electronic form to record the soil description."

Another new tool available that he said should be taken full advantage of is the net meeting. "This saves you days because you don't have to travel in order to get to the meeting. Having a net meeting means you can have the meeting in your own office."

A question that is often asked is, how will soil function at a certain location, such as a watershed or field. "A question that a soil survey can answer is, what is the value of the soil property at that location."

Loomis stated that it's valuable to use the Factor model to make a soil survey. "This model doesn't map the soil, per se. What it does is it maps a complex algamation of proxies. In other words, it gives an estimation on the soil properties.

"Conventional methods yield a qualitative solution to the Factor model. Fuzzy clustering methods yield a quantitative solution to the Factor model."

New technology is there as an enhancement, not as a replacement of current tools for soil scientists, he stated. "Remember, you can't afford to throw away older tools."

Using these new tools, though, will help map more acres with less time. "We are able to stop doing jobs that, as a result of these new technologies, are no longer necessary."