Measuring Soil Fertility Directly in the Field With Proximal Sensing

Soil samples can be measured using portable spectrometers without having to send them off to a laboratory.
Soil samples can be measured directly in the field using visible and near-infrared (vis-NIR) spectroscopy. The method is suitable for determining the clay, organic carbon and total nitrogen contents, the pH value and the cationic interchange capacity. It allows the soil fertility of small areas of a field to be measured over an extended period of time and the effect of cultivational measures to be observed.