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Lecture - 3 - Soil Survey and Sampling

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52 views3 pages

Lecture - 3 - Soil Survey and Sampling

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Mohamed Hesham
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Lecture#3, Dr Osama Rady Fundamentals of Soil Sciences (14201)

Soil survey and sampling

Soil survey is a sub-branch of soil science, relating to Pedology, which involves the
identification of the different types of soil in a given landscape and the location of their
distribution to scale on a map.
In addition, soil survey provides information on the quality of the land in terms of their response
to management and manipulation. By other words, the principal objectives of soil survey are to
predict whether new crops could be grown on soils where they were never grown before and to
learn enough about certain soils to predict how they would respond when irrigated with a known
quality and quantity of irrigation water.

Type of Survey
Soil survey can be classified based on the purpose of survey and the scale of mapping as follow:

A) Classification by purpose of survey


Based on the purpose of survey, there are two types of survey. These are general purpose and
special purpose survey. A general purpose soil survey is one that is done mainly to add to the
already existing inventory of soil information. This commonly found in the national survey of
each country, e.g. the Egypt. The information may not be needed at the time of survey but such a
survey is done for record purpose. A special purpose soil survey is done for specific purpose in
mind, e.g. survey for irrigation network planning or survey for citrus plantation.

B) Classification basing on scale of mapping


There are five kinds of surveys: Exploratory survey, reconnaissance survey, semi-detailed
survey, detailed survey and intensive survey.
1- Exploratory survey: Exploratory surveys are not survey proper. It is usually rapid road
traverse made to provide general information about the area that is otherwise unknown. Scale of
exploratory survey varies from 1: 2,000,000 to 1,500,000.
2- Reconnaissance survey: this is mostly based on remote sensing data especially information
extracted from satellite images and aerial photos taken by airplane. It is a smaller scale of survey
where the whole area is still covered. The scale is usually 1:250,000, but smaller scales have
Lecture#3, Dr Osama Rady Fundamentals of Soil Sciences (14201)

been used. Reconnaissance survey lead to the preparation of larger scale maps that are needed for
macro level planning for diversified agro-based development programmes.
3- Semi-Detailed survey: In a semi-detailed survey, we have a combination of remote sensing
data and field work. Scale of mapping varies from 150,000 to 100, 000. This type of soil survey
provides adequate information about various kinds of soils, including problematic soils.
4- Detailed survey: Detailed surveys are executed through field examination with
predetermined numbers of observation points and or spacing. This kind of survey is usually
employed for small area and for special purposes such as land use planning and management.
Scale of observation varies between 1: 10,000 and 1: 25,000.
5- Intensive survey: Intensive survey is a very detailed survey, i.e. number of observation and
spacing of observation are pre-determined. This kind of survey is usually employed for the on-
site fame management such as the amount and way of fertilizers application as well as the water
irrigation. Scale of mapping varies from 1: 10,000 to 1: 1,000 or even larger.

Soil Sampling Procedures


Uniform fields can be sampled in a simple random, stratified random or systematic pattern. The
result from these sampling plans, the soil test value, provides an estimate of the entire population
of possible soil test results. As the number of soil samples increases, the error, or chance of
obtaining an inaccurate estimate of the average soil test value, decreases. Practically speaking,
the time required to obtain soil samples governs the number of samples taken. A good sampling
plan helps to ensure the accuracy of the soil test result. Three common soil sampling plans are
followed.

Soil sampling Procedures (X represents an individual soil sample location).


Lecture#3, Dr Osama Rady Fundamentals of Soil Sciences (14201)

With a simple random system each soil sample is selected separately, randomly and
independently of previously drawn units. A stratified random sample is taken from a field that
has been divided into several subunits or quadrants from which simple random samples are
obtained. This increases the precision for the field. The systematic sample is a further
progression in an attempt to ensure complete field coverage, similar to the change from the
simple random to the stratified random. Samples are taken at regularly spaced intervals in all
directions. The systematic sampling plan has been widely accepted, because it is straightforward
and potentially increases the accuracy of soil tests.

Further reading:
http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt8602.html
https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/en/
https://guides.lib.montana.edu/c.php?g=198229&p=1302916
https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/environment/soil-management/soil-management-
guide/print,using-soil-survey-information.html

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