Method for soil analysis

• US 8,744,772 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Green Badge, LLC
• Original Assignee: Green Badge, LLC
• Inventors: Magro, Carmen, Campbell, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Desta, Elias
• Application Number:
  US12/911,720
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 702/2, 702/22, 702/128, 436/183, 210/634, 738/63
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for soil analysis for determining optimal conditions for a soil area and reporting the same. The soil analysis of the present invention combines sound agronomic principles with a unique interpretation of the results to offer a thorough analysis of a property'"'"'s soil based on the soil sample(s) taken from a particular property. The calculation formulas and variables are consistent for all analyses, with the formulas adjusted based on some specific qualities of the soil.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing soil conditions for a land area, the method comprising:

analyzing at least one soil sample for a land area, the soil sample ranging from 3 inches to 4 inches and including a cap;

generating a plurality of variables for the at least one analyzed soil sample;

applying a logarithmic equation to each of the plurality of variables to generate a plurality of logarithmic values for the at least one soil sample;

monitoring the land area utilizing a system comprising a plurality of soil sensors positioned in an upper soil area and a lower soil area, at least one transmitter and a processing engine in wireless communication with the transmitter for receiving a plurality of wireless transmissions from each of the plurality of soil sensors wherein each of the plurality of wireless transmissions corresponds to at least one variable of the plurality of variables.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of variables comprises pH, buffer pH, organic matter percentage, texture, sand, silt, clay, saturation percentage, cation exchange capacity, sodium adsorption ratio, electrical conductivity soluble salts and electrical conductivity paste extract salts.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of variables comprises a plurality of acid exchangeable nutrients and a plurality of free-extractable nutrients.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of acid exchangeable nutrients comprises nitrate, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and sodium.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of free extractable nutrients comprises nitrate, ammonium nitrogen, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, borate, sodium, chlorine and bicarbonate.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of variables comprises a plurality of base saturation percentages, a plurality of potential base percentages, and a plurality of available base percentages.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of base saturation percentages comprises calcium base saturation percent, magnesium base saturation percent, potassium base saturation percent, sodium base saturation percent, and hydrogen base saturation percent.

8. The method according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of potential base percentages comprises calcium potential base percent, magnesium potential base percent, potassium potential base percent, and sodium potential base percent.

9. The method according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of available base percentages comprises calcium available base percent, magnesium available base percent, potassium available base percent, and sodium available base percent.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of logarithmic values is a value between 0 and 200.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the optimal value for each of the plurality of logarithmic values is a value between 80 and 120.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

generating a plurality of ratios of variables for the at least one analyzed soil sample; and

applying a logarithmic equation to each of the plurality of ratios of variables to generate a plurality of logarithmic ratio values for the at least one soil sample.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the plurality of ratios of variables comprises available nitrate to ammonium nitrogen, available calcium to magnesium, available nitrogen to potassium, available calcium to phosphorus, total of sodium, chlorine and bicarbonates to the total available salts in solution, available calcium to bicarbonates, available magnesium to bicarbonates, available potassium to chlorides, and total potential exchangeable salts to total available extractable salts.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein each of the plurality of logarithmic ratio values is a value between 0 and 200.

15. A method for analyzing soil conditions for a land area, the method comprising:

analyzing a plurality of soil samples for a land area, each of the plurality of soil samples ranging from 3 inches to 4 inches and including a cap;

generating a plurality of variables and a plurality of ratios of variables for the analyzed plurality of soil samples;

applying a logarithmic equation to each of the plurality of variables and each of the plurality of ratios of variables to generate a plurality of logarithmic values for the plurality of soil samples, wherein the logarithmic equation is

logarithmic value=slope*LOG(actual variable value/optimal variable value)+scale; and

monitoring the land area utilizing a system comprising a plurality of soil sensors positioned in an upper soil area and a lower soil area, at least one transmitter and a processing engine in wireless communication with the transmitter for receiving a plurality of wireless transmissions from each of the plurality of soil sensors wherein each of the plurality of wireless transmissions corresponds to at least one variable of the plurality of variables.

16. The method according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of variables comprises pH, buffer pH, organic matter percentage, texture, sand, silt, clay, saturation percentage, cation exchange capacity, sodium adsorption ratio, electrical conductivity soluble salts and electrical conductivity paste extract salts.

17. The method according to claim 15 wherein the plurality of variables comprises a plurality of acid exchangeable nutrients and a plurality of free-extractable nutrients.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of acid exchangeable nutrients comprises nitrate, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron and sodium.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein the plurality of variables for the plurality of free extractable nutrients comprises nitrate, ammonium nitrogen, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfate, borate, sodium, chlorine and bicarbonate.

20. A method for analyzing soil conditions for a land area, the method comprising:

analyzing at least one soil sample for a land area;

generating a plurality of variables for the at least one analyzed soil sample;

applying a scaling function to each of the plurality of variables to generate a plurality of scaled variable values for the at least one soil sample, wherein such that for each variable value V1, . . . Vn, then S1=f1(V1) . . . Sn=fn(Vn), wherein S1 . . . Sn are scaled variable values and f1 . . . fn are functions specific to each variable V1 . . . Vn; and

monitoring the land area utilizing a system comprising a plurality of soil sensors positioned in an upper soil area and a lower soil area, at least one transmitter and a processing engine in wireless communication with the transmitter for receiving a plurality of wireless transmissions from each of the plurality of soil sensors wherein each of the plurality of wireless transmissions corresponds to at least one variable of the plurality of variables.