Compaction Mapping

Mapping compaction has been, in the past, a great undertaking.  The amount of compaction and of variance was an assumption versus being a measured unit.  In the past, hand held soil penetrometers have been primarily used for trouble shooting.  The accuracy of the measurement is tied directly to the ability to push the probe into the soil at the same rate throughout the depth of the soil.  Done by hand this is virtually impossible.  To collect enough information across a whole field to make a geo-referenced map added to the difficulty.  MISS saw the need for accurate measurement of compaction as a necessity in the precision agriculture market, so the Compaction Detector was created.

By mapping the whole field and looking at the amount of change as you move through the soil profile, producers now have a way to make a decision on managing tillage and equipment in the field.

To till or not to till that is the question.
Or more so, how deep and how aggressive.

By mapping the amount of compaction within a field, users are able to make a cost/savings analysis on where, by what means and how deep to till.  The maps can show at what depth the maximum amount of pressure is reached and what the average of different zones are.  By bringing the data into software you can view on a point by point, inch by inch basis across the field, seeing the areas that have the worse case scenario and in others the best.

The resulting maps provide two things that cannot be seen by the naked eye
Information to make machinery and diesel fuel decisions about where to chisel, or deep rip and to what depth.  Education/information about the condition of the soil and the importance of compaction avoidance.

Every inch in the soil profile is recorded.  MISS provides maps as three different zones.  The following maps are examples of these zones.  The maps depict the average amount of psi (pressure per square inch) in that depth zone.  With this view you can see where the trouble spots are.

Zone Depth   0-6 inch 7-10 inch 11-18 inch

Surface compaction (0-6 inch) - easily remedied Sub-surface (7-10 inch) - can be remedied with proper equipment Deep compaction (11-18 inch) - very difficult if possible to remedy