Presentation of the Soil Map of northeast Segovia. /
Segovia
This tool will make it easier for producers and technicians to make decisions about production areas according to crop
The new Soil Map of the northwest of the province of Segovia, updated to 38 municipalities, shows, plot by plot, the nutritional availability of the soil, its composition and an analysis of irrigation water in the area. In addition, as a novelty, it is associated with an individualized fertilization plan according to the characteristics of the crop.
The study area covers a total area of 1,509.39 square kilometers (150,939 hectares), of which 667.70 (66,770 hectares) is cultivated area, which represents 21.8% of the total for the province. The sampling of the area includes the collection and analysis of 499 samples, referring to the superficial layer (arable) of the soil, while the non-sampled areas correspond mainly to forest areas.
The Prodestur deputy, Magdalena Rodríguez, explained that a map is created that includes the different parameters analyzed, corresponding to a basic soil analysis: texture, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, total carbonates, nitrogen and phosphorus and potassium content. assimilable, and carbon-nitrogen ratio. These projections are obtained through an interpolation process of the georeferenced data, which is implemented through a geographic information system (GIS).
These fertility maps show the nutritional availability of the soil and its composition in the total area studied, by being able to identify each plot and know the value of each of the parameters that have to do with the performance of agricultural activity. For Magdalena Rodríguez, “this tool is essential because it makes it easier for producers and technicians to make decisions about production areas according to the crop.”
In addition, this application relates the results of the analysis with the nutrients required by the crop, the level of its extraction and the expected productivity. In this way, it allows locating a specific plot, obtaining its fertility data and interpreting it, and defining a subscriber plan for a specific crop. “The program gives the option of incorporating certain variables, such as the results of the last soil analysis, selecting the crop, expected production, contributions of organic amendment or crop remains,” he explained in statements collected by Ical.
To complete the project, data on the irrigation waters of all the municipalities have been associated to the maps, specifically the values of pH (soil acidity), salinity, hardness and Riverside classification. These data, continued the deputy, “provide relevant information, since the pH influences the solubility of fertilizers and the availability of nutrients to plants; salinity for being limiting for the development and production of crops; hardness due to its impact on irrigation systems, and the Riverside classification for being the most widely used agronomic classification for the characterization of water types.
