Back to All Research Projects
Crop & Soil Proximal Sensing2024Active Project
Proximal Soil Color & Optical Spectrometry Modeling
Funding AgencySoil Chemistry Research Fund & NABL Division
Timeline / Duration2024 – 2025 (24 Months)
Trial LocationCentral Soil Science Laboratory, Shalimar
Lead InvestigatorDivision of Soil Science & Analytical Chemistry
< 60 secAssay Time
350–2500 nmSpectral Range
0.91Carbon R²
1,400+ SpectraDatabase Size
Research Background & Methodology
Developing chemometric calibrations for rapid optical soil property quantification using benchtop and portable diffuse reflectance Vis-NIR spectrometers (350–2500 nm). The project bypasses traditional hazardous chemical extraction workflows by predicting soil organic carbon (SOC), clay content, pH, and exchangeable cations in under 60 seconds per sample.
Key Objectives & Milestones
- Build a localized spectral library covering major agro-ecological soil orders of Jammu & Kashmir.
- Develop partial least squares regression (PLSR) and random forest (RF) prediction algorithms for primary fertility attributes.
- Validate hand-held portable color spectrometers against standard Walkley-Black organic carbon assays.
- Establish an open spectral database for regional researchers and agricultural extension specialists.
Key Empirical Discoveries & Impact
01
Rapid Organic Carbon Assay
Demonstrated rapid Vis-NIR prediction of SOC with R² = 0.91 and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) < 0.18%.
02
Zero Chemical Waste
Eliminated hazardous dichromate and acid reagent consumption for routine carbon screening.
03
In-Situ Portability
Achieved 87% diagnostic concordance between field-portable optical probes and benchtop laboratory spectrometers.
