Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System

Soil is characterized by high spatiotemporal variability due to the combined influence of internal and external factors. The most efficient approach for addressing spatial variability is the use of management zones (MZs). Common approaches for delineating MZs include K-means and fuzzy C-means cluste...

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Main Authors: Yifan Yuan, Bo Shi, Russell Yost, Xiaojun Liu, Yongchao Tian, Yan Zhu, Weixing Cao, Qiang Cao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Plants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/19/2611
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author Yifan Yuan
Bo Shi
Russell Yost
Xiaojun Liu
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Qiang Cao
author_facet Yifan Yuan
Bo Shi
Russell Yost
Xiaojun Liu
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Qiang Cao
author_sort Yifan Yuan
collection DOAJ
description Soil is characterized by high spatiotemporal variability due to the combined influence of internal and external factors. The most efficient approach for addressing spatial variability is the use of management zones (MZs). Common approaches for delineating MZs include K-means and fuzzy C-means cluster analysis algorithms. However, these clustering methods have been used to delineate MZs independent of the spatial dependence of soil variables. Thus, the accuracy of the clustering results has been limited. In this study, six soil variables (soil pH, total nitrogen, organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, and soil apparent electrical conductivity) were used to characterize the spatial variability within a representative village in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, China. Two variable reduction techniques (PCA, multivariate spatial analysis based on Moran’s index; MULTISPATI-PCA) and three different clustering algorithms (fuzzy C-means clustering, iterative self-organizing data analysis techniques algorithm, and Gaussian mixture model; GMM) were used to optimize the MZ delineation. Different clustering model composites were evaluated using yield data collected after the wheat harvest in 2020. The results indicated that the variable reduction technologies in conjunction with clustering algorithms provided better performance in MZ delineation, with average silhouette coefficient (ASC) and variance reduction (VR) of 0.48–0.57, and 13.35–23.13%, respectively. Moreover, the MULTISPATI-PCA approach was more conducive to identifying variables requiring MZ delineation than traditional PCA methods. Combining MULTISPATI-PCA and the GMM algorithm yielded the greatest VR and ASC values in this study. These results can guide the optimization of MZ delineation in intensive agricultural systems, thus enabling more precise nutrient management.
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spelling doaj.art-9e1b2a1888a64ed7a42d379c9203d4982023-11-23T21:30:21ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-10-011119261110.3390/plants11192611Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming SystemYifan Yuan0Bo Shi1Russell Yost2Xiaojun Liu3Yongchao Tian4Yan Zhu5Weixing Cao6Qiang Cao7National Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaDepartment of Tropical Plant and Soil Science, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USANational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaNational Engineering and Technology Center for Information Agriculture, MOE Engineering and Research Center for Smart Agriculture, MARA Key Laboratory for Crop System Analysis and Decision Making, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Information Agriculture, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Modern Crop Production Co-Sponsored by Province and Ministry, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaSoil is characterized by high spatiotemporal variability due to the combined influence of internal and external factors. The most efficient approach for addressing spatial variability is the use of management zones (MZs). Common approaches for delineating MZs include K-means and fuzzy C-means cluster analysis algorithms. However, these clustering methods have been used to delineate MZs independent of the spatial dependence of soil variables. Thus, the accuracy of the clustering results has been limited. In this study, six soil variables (soil pH, total nitrogen, organic matter, available phosphorus, available potassium, and soil apparent electrical conductivity) were used to characterize the spatial variability within a representative village in Suining County, Jiangsu Province, China. Two variable reduction techniques (PCA, multivariate spatial analysis based on Moran’s index; MULTISPATI-PCA) and three different clustering algorithms (fuzzy C-means clustering, iterative self-organizing data analysis techniques algorithm, and Gaussian mixture model; GMM) were used to optimize the MZ delineation. Different clustering model composites were evaluated using yield data collected after the wheat harvest in 2020. The results indicated that the variable reduction technologies in conjunction with clustering algorithms provided better performance in MZ delineation, with average silhouette coefficient (ASC) and variance reduction (VR) of 0.48–0.57, and 13.35–23.13%, respectively. Moreover, the MULTISPATI-PCA approach was more conducive to identifying variables requiring MZ delineation than traditional PCA methods. Combining MULTISPATI-PCA and the GMM algorithm yielded the greatest VR and ASC values in this study. These results can guide the optimization of MZ delineation in intensive agricultural systems, thus enabling more precise nutrient management.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/19/2611soil variableMULTISPATI-PCAGaussian mixture modelmanagement zoneclustering model composites
spellingShingle Yifan Yuan
Bo Shi
Russell Yost
Xiaojun Liu
Yongchao Tian
Yan Zhu
Weixing Cao
Qiang Cao
Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
Plants
soil variable
MULTISPATI-PCA
Gaussian mixture model
management zone
clustering model composites
title Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
title_full Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
title_fullStr Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
title_full_unstemmed Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
title_short Optimization of Management Zone Delineation for Precision Crop Management in an Intensive Farming System
title_sort optimization of management zone delineation for precision crop management in an intensive farming system
topic soil variable
MULTISPATI-PCA
Gaussian mixture model
management zone
clustering model composites
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/19/2611
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