Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research
Project Number: 5070-21600-001-012-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Nov 1, 2027
Objective:
Incorporate near-infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) soil spectroscopy into the Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE) framework. This research will bolster NRCS’s existing soil health initiatives, offering a robust, quick, scalable, and cost-effective method for farmers, agronomists, and environmental scientists to conduct detailed, site-specific soil health analyzes using soil spectroscopy. The resulting NIR and MIR dataset will be unique and will benefit farmers, agronomists, researchers, commercial and academic laboratories, and has potential to be used internationally.
Approach:
This project will leverage data that will be obtained on approximately 10,000 to 14,000 surface soil samples collected from across the U.S. between 2024 and 2027. These samples will be analyzed for soil health indices (particle size, aggregate stability, soil organic carbon and inorganic carbon, active carbon (POxC), pH (water and salt), and potential mineralizable nitrogen). Sample collection and laboratory analysis will be supported by NRCS funding (ARS agreement number 60-5070-3-007). After completion of the laboratory analyzes, soils will be finely ground and passed through an 80-mesh (0.177 mm) screen and MIR spectral measurements will be collected on a Bruker production MIR spectrometer to ensure compatibility with the KSSL soil spectral library. Additionally, NIR measurements will be collected using an ASD FieldSpectrometer and a handheld Neospectra instrument. The total number of samples to be analyzed by MIR/NIR will depend on the number of samples that are obtained and analyzed within the timeline of this grant and which also have adequate soil remaining after the laboratory analyses to do additional fine grinding. NIR/MIR data will be related to the soil health indices using a variety of statistical and machine learning approaches.
