By Blake Jackson
Soil fertility and field topography play important roles in determining corn yields, according to research conducted by Cornell University’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP).
The study examined 17 cornfields across six New York farms to identify the primary factors contributing to differences in crop productivity.
Madeline Hanscom, communications assistant for Cornell CALS, reported that researchers investigated how soil characteristics and landscape features influence yield variability. With hundreds of thousands of acres of corn grown across New York, understanding these factors could help farmers improve production and make more informed field management decisions.
“We are fortunate to have long-standing collaborations with farmers and farm consultants who entrusted us with their yield monitor data, motivating us to dig deeper beyond identifying yield variability to explaining what’s causing it,” said Manuel Marcaida III, NMSP data analyst. “The additional layer of data from intense gridded soil sampling was valuable to make this research possible.”
Researchers used GPS-linked yield monitor records to examine how corn production varied across individual fields. For fields with at least three years of yield data, the team created yield stability zone maps showing areas with consistently high or low yields and locations where productivity fluctuated between growing seasons.
The team compared these maps with several potential yield predictors, including elevation, topographic wetness index (TWI), soil pH, organic matter, and phosphorus, and potassium levels. TWI indicates the likelihood of water accumulating in an area based on the surrounding landscape and water flowing from higher ground.
“Grid-based soil fertility measurements, combined with field topography features, provided strong spatial information in developing our machine learning model,” said Marcaida.
The analysis found that elevation and TWI were stronger predictors of yield variability than nutrient content. Researchers noted that soil nutrients were generally adequate in the fields studied, making water availability a more influential factor in determining yield stability.
The findings suggest that once nutrient requirements are met, both excessive moisture and insufficient water can limit corn production. Farmers may benefit from improving soil health to strengthen water retention and drainage, depending on field conditions. Installing tile drainage may also help address areas where excess water restricts crop growth.
By combining soil sampling, yield monitoring, topographical information, and machine learning, the research provides insights into field-specific yield patterns.
The results could help farmers prioritize management practices that address water-related limitations and improve corn production across New York.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-luc-pouliot
Categories: New York, Crops, Corn, Education