An analytics system uses soil health indicators to determine metrics for soil samples. In an embodiment, the analytics system receives metadata describing a soil sample, where the metadata indicates one or more types of crops grown in a geographical location having the soil sample. The analytics system determines nucleic acid sequence reads of the soil sample. The analytics system determines taxonomic information of the nucleic acid sequence reads. The analytics system determines microbial composition of the soil sample using the taxonomic information. The analytics system determines reference metrics of soil samples from geographical locations in which the one or more types of crop were grown. The analytics system determines a metric of the soil sample using the microbial composition and the reference metrics. The analytics system transmits the metric to a client device.

A system includes an aerial sensor platform including a spectral imaging device, a position sensor, and an orientation sensor and includes a ground-based sensor platform including at least one soil sensor. The system also includes a computing device with instructions that are executable by a processor to obtain spectral imaging data collected by the spectral imaging device and soil data collected by the at least one soil sensor. The spectral imaging data represents a particular field of view (based on data from the orientation sensor) of a particular geographic region (based on data from the position sensor) of a crop field and the at least one soil sensor is associated with the particular geographic region. The instructions are further executable by the processor to schedule an agricultural activity based on the spectral imaging data and the soil data.

An elongated apparatus that measures soil water tension is disclosed, having a hydrogel chamber for receiving a plurality of macro-sized hydrogel particles through its open side and a sealed inner wall, the hydrogel held in the hydrogel chamber by a durable, hydrophilic, and porous window secured to the open side of the hydrogel chamber. The window, when the apparatus is received in soil, transmits moisture between the soil and the hydrogel chamber, causing variable pressure within the hydrogel chamber that can be converted to a measurement of soil water tension on the opposite side of the window. This pressure produces various mechanical effects, measurable by various types of sensors within the elongated probe. A method for measuring soil water tension at multiple depths within a soil profile is also disclosed.

A system for measuring temperature and dielectric properties of soil and other semi-solid materials on-the-go uses a long-wearing non-ferrous wear plate with two metal prongs supported by the wear plate to measure dielectric properties. The metal prongs each have a mounting end soldered to a printed circuit board containing a capacitance sensor circuit. The metal prongs have exposed ends arranged to contact the semi-solid material being measured. The sensor circuit has an oscillation frequency of 50 to 100 MHz to allow rapid dielectric measurements to be made as the sensor moves through the semi-solid material. In one embodiment, the system includes an implement for traversing a field, a shank with a leading edge for opening a furrow in soil, and a spring-loaded mounting system for biasing the wear plate downwardly relative to a shank to maintain a consistent pressure of the wear plate and metal prongs against the soil.

A device for surveying the condition of a substrate, in particular a soil sensor, having at least one transmitting coil and at least one, preferably four, receiving coils. The transmitting coil is arranged to generate an electromagnetic primary field and the receiving coil is arranged to receive the electromagnetic secondary field induced in the substrate by the primary field. The transmitting coil and the receiving coil are arranged in a housing which includes electromagnetic radiation shielding material. Also disclosed is an agricultural driven machine including a soil sensor and a method for operating a driven machine.

An apparatus, method, and system for on-the-go soil nitrate level sensing, and optionally using the sensing to inform or instruct nitrogen fertilizer application across the field. In one form, the apparatus includes a soil sensing tool which carries a diamond ATR cell in combination with an FTIR field ruggedized spectrometer. The optical surface of the diamond ATR cell can be adjusted in pitch and depth to the soil. A processor is programmed to manipulate acquired spectra to derive a prediction of nitrate level for a given soil position in the field. This can be used to modulate a fertilizer applicator operation or coupled with georeference data collected simultaneously to generate a map of soil nitrate levels for the field, which can be used as a prescription for nitrogen fertilizer application.

A method for estimating soil properties within a field using hyperspectral remotely sensed data is provided. In an embodiment, estimating soil properties may be accomplished using a server computer system that receives, via a network, soil spectrum data records that are used to predict soil properties for a specific geo-location. Within the server computer system a soil preprocessing module receives one or more soil spectrum data records that represent a mean soil spectrum of a specific geo-location of a specified area of land. The soil preprocessing module then removes interference signals from the soil spectrum data, creating a set of one or more spectral bands. By removing interference signals, the spectral bands are not erroneously skewed from effects such as baseline drift, particle deviation, and surface heterogeneity. A soil regression module inputs the one or more soil spectral bands and predicts soil property datasets. The soil property datasets include specific soil properties relevant to determining fertility of the soil or soil property levels that may influence soil management at a specific geo-location. The soil regression module then takes the multiple soil property datasets and selects multiple specific soil property datasets that best represent the existing soil properties. Included in the soil property datasets are the multiple soil properties predicted and the spectral band data used to determine the specific soil properties. The soil regression module sends this predicted data to a soil model database.

In an embodiment, an apparatus for sensing soil characteristics comprises a circular wheel frame that is capable of rotation in an agricultural field; at least one first arcuate tread segment that is affixed to an outer rim of the wheel frame and constitutes a soil contacting bearing surface when the apparatus is in contact with soil; at least one recess in the outer rim of the wheel frame; a circuit board within the wheel frame and having at least a first receptacle that is radially aligned with the at least one recesses; at least one removable sensor comprising one or more first sensing elements, a first plug that mates to the first receptacle of the circuit board, and a second arcuate tread segment and configured to mount in the at least one recess with the second arcuate tread segment aligned with the first arcuate tread segment to form a continuous tread; a power supply coupled to the at least one removable sensor through the connector; means coupled to the power supply for wirelessly transmitting data obtained from the at least one removable sensor to a host computer that is separate from the apparatus.

Embodiments relate to calibrating yield data points. A calibration system receives a plurality of groups of yield data points. Each group is associated with an attribute, such as, a machine identifier, a zone identifier, a localized zone identifier, and/or a moisture identifier. The system calculates a grand aggregate yield based on the yield data points of the plurality of groups. The system calculates a group aggregate yield based on yield data points of each group. The system subtracts the group aggregate yield from each yield data point of the group producing adjusted yield data points. The system adds the grand aggregate yield to each of the adjusted yield data points producing calibrated yield data points.

In one embodiment, an agricultural sampling apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprising: a wave emitter; a wave transmitter configured to direct the waves from the wave emitter as a plurality of linewise waves to irradiate surface points of the agricultural sample; a dispersive element configured to receive waves arriving from the sample and deflect the arriving waves in at least two directions depending upon the wavelength of an arriving wave; and a detector configured with a plurality of detection elements disposed in at least two dimensions, the detector configured to convert the waves arriving from the dispersive element to a signal.