Determination of the Most Relevant Soil Properties for the Delineation of Management Zones in Production Fields

The proper delineation of management zones (MZs) is very important in site-specific crop management. The aim of this study was to determine the soil attributes that are most relevant in the delineation process of MZs. Two fields of 22 ha and 45 ha located in northern Poland were examined. The analyses were based on MZs delineated using standardized multiyear yield data and logistic regression, which was applied to select the variables that discriminate the yield-based MZs to the greatest degree. The effects of several variables, including soil chemical and physical properties and topographic attributes, on the discrimination of yield-based MZs were investigated. The sand and organic carbon content in the soil produced the most relevant delineation of MZs. Highly correlated variables should be not included in analyses for MZ delineation because they can strongly affect the results of cluster analyses that are used for the delineation of MZs.